Chances Are
by Ozziegrl
Summary: This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa on the RPG on Jedi.net - this Character is totally different to my other fic's. Later chapters will contain sexual references, I've written one chapter two different ways and will post the R rated separate.
1. Chapter 1 Strange Happenings

**Chances are**

((I lay no claim to the Star Wars world, just an enjoyment in the worlds that George Lucus created. This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa within the RPG.))  
  
**Chapter 01 Strange Happenings... **  
  
Skye Organa looked pale as she made her way into the cantina and over to the bar. Ordering a Corellian ale she headed over to a dimly lit corner and sat down, staring into her drink. How did she manage that? She'd never done anything like it before. Her mind went back over the events, running through what had happened.  
  
_Skye had been standing just outside a supply shop after completing the business transactions that had brought her to Telos, when a speeder flew past hitting a canine as it went. Being soft of heart when it came to animals, Skye had quickly raced over to the poor creature and had checked over it's injuries. Moving it back from the roadside she had examined it. One hand going over the canine's heart, the other stroking it to keep it calm. It's heartbeat had been very erratic and she feared that it wouldn't make it – that it would die.  
  
Kneeling close to it she lowering her head, tears escaping her eyes as she 'willed' it's heartbeat to return to normal, her hand still over it's heart. Her other hand continued to stroke the canine to comfort it in it's last moments. The canine's head raised slightly so it could look at Skye and it let out a strange sounding bark. She looked back at it amazed as she felt it's heartbeat getting stronger and couldn't believe her eyes when it got to it's feet and licked her face. With another bark it wandered off and down a side street only limping slightly._  
  
Downing her drink she signalled the droid waiter for another. She was having trouble believing that she had somehow kept the canine alive – she had been certain that it would die. She was suddenly startled out of her reverie by someone standing next to her table.  
  
"Mind if I join you?" a gentle voice asked.  
  
Nodding her head affirmative, she indicates the empty chair opposite. As the stranger sat down she got a chance to observe him. He was dressed in a plain brown robe and had what looked to be a lightsaber clipped to his belt. The droid waiter came back with her drink, the stranger, waiting until it had gone before speaking once more.  
  
"I saw what you did outside with the canine. That was a very kind thing." Then looking closer at her he asked "Do you know what you did?"   
  
Feeling a strange sensation come over her and with shock evident on her face Skye looked upon the stranger "No, I have no idea what happened out there. I just willed it to live... and it did. How could that happen?"  
  
"It is a Jedi trait. Let me ask you something. If you had the opportunity to develop your gift, would you take it?"  
  
"What gift?" she asked him, very puzzled.   
  
"I feel that you have the gift of the Force. It is very strong within you. If you are interested I will send you the co-ordinates of where you can go to train." Seeing her nod he got up to leave. "I will send an encrypted message to your ship – the Star Dancer . It will tell you where to go." With that he headed away from her, quickly disappearing in the throng of patrons in the crowded bar.


	2. Chapter 2 The Ice Planet

**Chapter 2 The Ice Planet**  
  
_'Well Skye ... what are you getting yourself into this time?'_ She asked herself as the 'Star Dancer' came out of hyperspace. Orbiting around the icy planet Hoth she checked the monitor for somewhere to land, deciding that the old Echo Base might be just that place. She came in slowly and set the Star Dancer down inside the main cavern. She saw no sign of activity but her intuition told her that 'someone' or 'something' must be out there. She had been trusting her intuition more and more as it had gotten her out of trouble more times than she would like to count. Skye put on her thermal jacket and gloves before heading down the ramp, carefully looking to see if anyone was around, trusty blaster at the ready. She quickly scouted the perimeter finding no trace of anything suspicious. Returning to her ship she headed back to the cockpit to look at the message she'd received once again.  
  
_"You are requested to proceed to Hoth. There you will be contacted in due time."_ End of transmission - short and sweet.  
  
She sat down and looked out the front view screen at the icy terrain and fingered her amethyst pendant. It felt warmer than usual and was somewhat comforting. Looking at the chrono Skye decided to take another look around. Rugged up against the cold again she carefully wandered out and around Echo Base.  
  
She felt drawn to one particular corridor and followed it further down until she heard voices. Carefully following the sounds Skye came out into what looked to be a Temple. She heard an announcement come over a speaker for all padawans to return to the training facility. Curiosity overcame her and she followed the person ahead of her to a training room.  
  
Skye hesitated at the door before stepping in, moving out of the doorway. Inside were several others including Masters and Knights. She fingered her amethyst pendant and nervously looked around the room.   
  
"Ummm, I'm not sure why I'm here exactly ... I was on Telo's completing some business and was given a message to come here. I was told that I shared a 'gift' and that it might be possible to be trained in the ways of the Force?" She waited to see if anyone will notice her.


	3. Chapter 3 Attack!

**Chances are**

((I lay no claim to the Star Wars world, just an enjoyment in the worlds that George Lucus created. This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa within the RPG.))

Chapter 3 Attack 

There was a feeling of uneasiness amongst the group of hopefuls as they all took a seat in the skiff. Skye looked around at the others wondering how they were going to get away from the Sith as she personally, had never come up against them before. She hoped that her ship would safely make its destination as she'd never had to use that safety precaution before. Darex leant closer to her then and whispered into her ear.

_"I hope they don't expect us to have to use these."_

A delicious shiver passed through her at the sound of his voice and she mentally shook her head at the thought that he could effect her like that as she watched him activate the blue blade, contemplate it and shut it back down.

"Whatever happens, I'll watch your back if you'll watch mine – how good were you with a vibroblade? I gather it is a similar principle to that?" she replied as she fingered the handle of the one she had been given. She didn't feel the need to activate and look at hers because of her interaction with Aryian earlier that day.

It hadn't taken them long to reach the hanger and the hopefuls quickly debarked the skiff. Jedi Knight Orrick quickly spoke to them before he headed back down a hallway.

"We are in a sealed area, so for the moment, we are safe. However, make yourself useful, and take a position at one of the defence batteries. We need to hold them off as long as possible, until some sort of plan of escape is developed."

Skye paused for a moment as she watched Orrick leave before making her way over to Jedi Knight Ben'a Solo. The battle hadn't yet begun and although she knew there wouldn't be much time before it did she still felt she should ask him about healer abilities.

"Excuse me. I know this probably isn't the best time but could you spare a few moments? I'd like to know how to use the Force to heal – I have a feeling that it might be a useful skill to have and might be needed very soon."

She quickly went on to tell Ben'a about the reason why she had been given the message to attend the Jedi Academy, that she had inadvertently used the Force to heal an injured canine that had been struck by a speeder while she was on Telos. She didn't know how she managed to heal the animal only that she had done it and it had been witnessed by someone who had told her that she had a rare gift that needed to be developed.

He spoke to her calmly, but with a measure of urgency in his voice.  
  
_"I am sorry to say that there isn't the time for this, unfortunately. Learning to heal takes time, time we do not possess. Right now we need everyone to do what they can to hold off this threat from the Empire. The Sith will follow, I am sure..."_  
  
Ben'a turned back to his console, motioning towards a free one for Skye.

Skye moved over to the free console and took a moment to familiarise herself with the controls. There were soon plenty of targets to choose from and she opened fire, hoping that there may be time later for such lessons in the healer arts. In the back of her mind she tried to remember what she had done to save the canine's life and hoped that if the need arose she might be able to use that talent again. Feeling the Force swirling around her she taped into it to try and improve her accuracy against the enemy ships.

She had begun to feel fearful. This was the first major battle that she had been in and she didn't like feeling vulnerable. She glanced around the hanger and found herself searching out one particular person. Giving herself a stern talking to about letting her fear get to her she tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but couldn't help shivering at the thought of what might happen next.

The battle outside of the hanger was heating up now and the orders were sometimes confusing. Master Kirlocca then ordered all hopefuls to the transports and she looked up to see Darex appear at her side.

_"_Ready to go? I think we need to go easy on these poor Imps and get you out of here."

"Ready as I'll ever be ... lets get out of here." Another shudder goes through her and she struggles to hide it. She follows Darex to the transports.

"Skye? Are you alr--"

Darex's words were cut off as Jedi Knight Ben'a's order fill the air. Skye followed him, jumping on the back of the speeder, clinging to him with one arm and drew her blaster from it's holster, holding it at the ready. They are about to take off when another order is given.

Jedi Knight Orrick had returned to the hanger and had fresh orders for them to follow.

_"The time has come for me to lead you all to safety. Keep close. You all are relatively out of danger now, but be on your guard." _

Hearing Orrick's command Skye taped Darex on the shoulder, telling him that they would be better off following Orrick in the underground tunnels rather than being caught out in the open. They followed him as he lead them towards the secret hanger...

Reaching the hidden hanger, the first arrivals jumped quickly into the awaiting ships, taking off to make good an escape. She saw Orrick and another of the hopefuls jump into a two-man ship and take off, skimming low over the terrain and off away from the battle above. Others followed, taking off low then rising up on a course that would take them out of the atmosphere and away.  
  
She had seen Ben'a and one of his apprentices jump into ships as well, taking off and heading away when both seemed to lose power as the Imperials fired a mag-pulse weapon, bringing down all the fleeing ships.  
  
Skye hadn't yet entered a ship herself when she saw some of them crash back onto the icy tundra. Shock and dread were foremost in her mind as she stopped in her tracks. Looking around, she saw Keiran and hurried over to him to see what she should do.  
  
_"Young one, assist the rest of the Jedi out of their fallen ships, however avoid Master Ben'a and his apprentice, Jake. They will handle themselves." _  
  
Skye nodded to Keiran and drew her blaster, dashing from cover to cover over to the first fallen ship. Quickly she scrambled up the side to help the occupant out and they slowly made their way back to the relative safety of the hidden hanger. She quickly dashed over to a first aid box on the wall and grabbed some supplies, stuffing them into a pack before heading back out to the next ship  
  
_"Be still, and let the Force flow through you...be dead...try to be dead..." _  
  
Skye heard Ben'a's voice in her mind just as she reached the second ship._ 'Wow, I heard a telepathic message – it's not the time to think about it now though.' _The ship was on fire and she scurried up the side to help the unconscious occupant out. She managed to drag him out, away from the ship just before it exploded. She shielded his body with her own, hoping that the pack that was still on her back might help shield her. She felt something hit her- shrapnel, she assumed- and began to feel light headed. She fought it but lost the battle to stay conscious, slumping over her patient as the blackness claimed her.  
  
Unwittingly she must have moved closer to where Keiran had told her to avoid, for the next thing she knew was being thrown against a snow drift.   
  
_"Wake up!" _  
  
Skye regained consciousness after being thrown to the ground, hearing a harsh voice yelling at her. She gave her head a shake to try and clear it, only to wish she didn't see what she did. The Sith Lord Impede was standing over her. She had never felt so frightened as she did then, with his darkness radiating outwards. She worked her legs trying to move backwards in the snow, the fear of his nearness causing the adrenaline to course through her system, giving her the strength to move faster.  
  
She caught sight of Ben'a out of the corner of her eye but didn't let on to the Sith that he was approaching, instead to add a distraction says with a stutter "Wh... what do you want with me?" Before he could answer Ben'a struck from behind him.  
  
Skye used this opportunity to escape, scrambling up and running as fast as she could towards the hanger. She hadn't gotten far when she saw another Sith – Jareth - after Aryian Darkfire. Collecting her wits she remembered her last lesson. Force Blast. She kept an eye on the Sith, careful not to gain his notice and concentrated on creating the energy required. Gathering what she hoped was enough to give Aryian some help she threw the blast at the Sith. It was enough to knock him off balance and give Aryian the break he needed. She quickly looked for some cover.

Glancing back the way she had come, she noticed that Ben'a had engaged the Sith Lord Impede in a full on battle, which started off with him using a double edged attack, firstly flinging snow up into the sith's face and secondly attacking with his emerald lightsaber.

She turned back to where Aryian was engaged in combat with other Sith Lord, Jareth Vermillos and could see that while her blast had distracted the sith for a while, Aryian was still out manoeuvred. From her hidden location she watched on as the sith goaded Aryian, making him angry, taunting him until Aryian leapt at him with his silver lightsaber flashing.

Skye looked on in horror as the two engaged in heated battle, the sith elbowing Aryian in the face before she heard the hiss and smelt the burning flesh wound that the sith inflicted on him before flinging Aryian's dropped lightsaber away into the snow. The sith then leapt onto Aryian, pummelling him with his fists. Somehow Aryian managed to flip Jareth off him and from her vantage point she saw him looking helplessly for his lightsaber before letting out an unholy howl of anguish.

She caught sight of Aryian's eyes then, noticing that they had changed to an un-natural colour and watched on as he tried to use the force unsuccessfully against Jareth. She couldn't look away, she knew she should run or do something but she was untrained and would be powerless against the sith, even with Aryian there. Fear had a good grip on her and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

With further horror taking hold of her, she saw the sith turn decisively in her direction as if he knew exactly where she was. Skye shrunk back trying to back away, never taking her eyes from that of her enemy. She saw him lift his hand, gesturing towards her as if to grab her and then she felt the cold grip close around her throat.

She couldn't breath, the pressure around her neck felt like it was crushing her windpipe. Her hands automatically went up to her throat, trying to relieve the pressure somehow. _How could she hope to combat something she couldn't see, couldn't even grab hold of to remove?_ She was panicking now, struggling for breath, her eyes felt like they would pop out of their sockets and just when she thought she would die she was released.

Sounding like it was far off in the distance, she heard Aryian's voice as he spoke to Jareth.

"This is between you and me, Sith. Leave the girl out of this. I intend to kill you, her or not, but if you continue to kill her, I will only kill you that much easier."

Skye dropped to the snow packed ground gasping for breath, gently rubbing her throat where the Sith had Force grabbed her. Something clicked inside her then and she silently recited the Jedi code, gaining strength from the words that Ben'a had taught them earlier that day. She noticed that Aryian's eyes have taken on the red colour of the darkside and silently willed him to hear her. Not knowing if he will hear her or not as she had never sent a telepathic message before, but she hoped that he would hear, that it would get through to him.

"Don't give in to the Dark side – remember the code."

As the Sith focused on Aryian again she took the chance to run, calling on Force Speed to help her vanish in amongst the rubble and in a zig zag route toward the hidden hanger.

As Skye made her way closer to the hanger she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. The adrenaline burst that she had been on was fast dissipating away. By the time she reached the hanger she was at a very slow pace. Onderin met up with her, helping her to relative safety inside of a ship while she noticed Keiran heading off on a speeder towards where Aryian and Jareth were still engaged in combat.

Inside the ship, she slowly made her way into the refresher unit and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her eyes showed the pain on her pale face and she had a fresh cut above her left eye. Her hair had come loose from it's braid and she had lost the flower that Darex had given her.

Looking further down she saw bruising coming out on her neck from where the Sith – Jareth - had Force grabbed her by the throat. It looked as if he had actually physically grabbed her instead of just using the Force. At least her amethyst pendant was still around her neck and she hadn't lost that also. Her jacket was tattered, torn and bloodied where she had been hit by the shrapnel and she gathered that she had lost the pack of first aid items when the first Sith had grabbed her to throw her across the hard packed snow.

She was amazed that she made it through those encounters, her first against the Sith. As she made her way back through the ship and back to Onderin she began to shiver and shake with reaction of both the cold and the ordeal she had just been through. She also feared that Jareth might still be able to detect where she was now. He had been very powerful and she knew that he had felt her fear and had fed upon it. She staggered into a chair, leaning back into it and passed out from pain shooting up her wounded back, the blessed black oblivion again claimed her.

"Skye wake up! I need to help my Master,"_ She stirred briefly as she heard Onderin's voice as if it was from afar but it was not enough to wake her then. _

Skye regained consciousness a while later and noticed that her wounds had been dressed. Her pain had diminished somewhat after being treated and she felt ready to face the action once more. She looked up to see Master Airleas standing over her.

_"Up, you...you give up to easily. These are only sith. Your fear is what they want. I don't care if they kill you, just die without fear."_

"I apologise Master, I won't let my fear dominate my actions again. I only wish that I had more training in which to be able to fight them with. If I feel the fear creeping up I will recite the jedi code – that is what helped me somewhat before."

She was now determined not to show any fear this time and hid it deep down inside of her, visually locking it up and throwing away an invisible key.

She clutched her blaster and was ready to head out into the fray once more. As she left the ship she noticed Onderin and headed over to him. He was under an overhang and was holding an efficient looking assault rifle, aiming at the Imperial ships flying above.

"Thanks for dressing my wounds and helping me Onderin. Is... do you know if Aryian is alright? Have you seen Darex? "

She looked around for the tall blonde man and spied him a distance from Master Hou-Jo and another Sith. Not knowing if he would hear her or not she concentrated in his direction "_Darex, don't do anything you'll regret."_

Skye watched as Darex ignited his blue saber blade and again tried to send a message to him _"Please be careful... don't give in to hatred." _She would hate to admit it but he had come to mean much to her in the short time they had known each other.

She glanced around the hanger and spied a vibroblade lying on the ground against a wall. She quickly snatched it up, not yet trusting herself to use the lightsaber clipped to her belt and dashed out to give whatever support she can to Darex.

Her previous fear gave way to a fierce determination to survive and to help her friends. She wasn't going to let the Sith get her to give in to fear again, she was over that now. She was almost to Darex when she was again confronted. Skye stopped mid stride, as she caught sight of another Sith Lord close by her.

_"Let's dance, you first. Hit me girl." _

With a quick glance around she defensively raised her vibroblade, determined that she will not give in to the fear that claimed her before. She began to circle around the Sith Lord Neo, carefully keeping her distance and mentally raising her inner defences. This time it was different, this time she would answer back. Cocking her head to the side she back chatted him sarcastically.

"Dance? Trying to be a gentleman huh? Sorry ... doesn't become you Sith"

"Don't get smart with me Jedi."

Skye felt his eyes raking over her and noticed him glance at her vibroblade causing her to clutch it in a tighter grip. To her surprise, he didn't raise his weapon against her, instead she saw him drop his shoulder slightly and run towards her. Before she could move defensively out of his way, he had barrelled into her. She let herself be carried along by the Sith's momentum, gathering the Force around her like a blanket. As she hit the ground she lost her grip on the vibroblade, seeing it skid a few feet away from her. Before she could think of retrieving it the Sith was upon her with his dagger, driving it into her leg.

Skye felt the pain as it entered and a moan of pain escaped her lips. This time she wouldn't let her fear get the better of her – she had learnt from her past battle and was very determined that this Sith would not get the better of her. He moved back from her then, a mask of anger across his face as he spoke, trying to get a reaction from her.

"_Attack me; let me see what you got."_

Rising to her feet she called upon the Force to gather it for a Force Blast. She heard another Jedi - Master Tares Vortex, address Neo, taunting him.

"A Sith with no honour? A Sith with no seek of a challenge? You disappoint me young one. The Sith I've fought for many years have at least displayed honour in their battles, earning my respect. You however would pick on a hopeful? How weak are you?"

Neo turned to face Master Vortex_"I never know any more with your trainings Tares. I never thought this day would come. To fight an enemy greater than hate itself. How do you teach people such as her? They show such signs of weakness, such signs of pain. But, as I understand you do none of the above Tares. You are just a worth piece of Poodoo. You don't have anything going for you, and never will. Let me now show you what the Sith have showed me. Let me show you Master."_

Neo turned back to her then, saying just the one word, _"Run",_ before turning back to Tares. _"You first. I want to see what you can stir up old man."_

Skye intended to but first she wanted abit of her own back. She responded to his command to run with _"Oh I intend to... but something for you first I think_" sending the Force Blast at the chest of the Sith, then tapping into the Force again to retrieve her vibroblade and to Force Speed her way out of immediate danger.

She came to a halt some distance away from Neo and Tares and observed them both for a moment. Searching the thigh pocket in her black cargo pants for the medpack she had put in there and quickly applying bacta, dressing the dagger wound. She saw Master Vortex walk away from the sith then and noticed that the Imperials and other sith were leaving the battlefield. Scanning the area she looked around to see what had happened to Darex.

She found Darex lying in the snow after being attacked by Raynuk Montar and she quickly made her way over to him, all the time keeping an eye out for any further attacks from the remaining sith. Reaching him she knelt beside him, checking his vital signs and sighing with relief when he came to. She helped him up and they made their way back to the hanger.

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_"I've only heard that Sith could use Force-lightning. I didn't believe they actually could,"_ Darex told Skye as she had helped him up before they headed towards the hanger, finding somewhere to sit and wait for further instruction. Skye was aware that Darex was deep in thought and didn't wish to disturb him, especially when he began to meditate. She looked around the ruins wondering where they would go to now.

Even though she was new to it, she had felt the disturbance when Keiran, Ben'a and Hou-Jo Poleb became one with the Force and was saddened by it, a sob caught in the back of her throat and she struggled to hold back her tears.

She sunk down onto a crate and stared vacantly out over the battles carnage. She was finding it difficult to believe that she had actually survived the attacks of three Sith Lords and had gotten away relatively unscathed. It hit her then and her mindset changed – she survived. A warm glow began to flow through her at that accomplishment. "_I have lived through it and I will be stronger for it."_

Darex stirred beside her and she turned towards him. _"Can we talk? In private? I don't know what we're supposed to be doing now anyway."_

She nodded at him waiting to see what he had to say.

_"I need your advice. I don't know how much you'll be able to help, considering that you are just another hopeful like myself, but I need at least a friendly ear. __  
  
__When I was on the battlefield I found myself confronting Raynuk Montar." _Darex paused to look at her before continuing on. _"Me and Dhan-Jaroe Kenobi, a Jedi master, were confronting him, trying to stop him from killing anyone. Well...to make a long story short, Raynuk was critically wounded and defenceless on the ground. Master Kenobi could've killed him in one swing, yet he showed mercy to the Sith, giving him the chance to escape. __  
  
__I don't understand why he did this. I mean, I know the Jedi are supposed to be merciful, but why should that apply to someone as evil as Raynuk?"_

_"He has murdered millions of people. Don't you think it would be better for the galaxy to be rid of him forever? That's what I finally decided anyway. I swung at Raynuk. I wanted to kill him, Skye," _Darex now had an intense look in his eyes. During the conversation, he had leaned closer and closer to her. Now, he pulled back a little._ "The Sith then used Force-lightning on me and escaped. But I'm still not sure I did the right thing. __  
  
__"Was I giving in to the Dark Side?" _Darex looked pained_. "That's all I've been thinking about. I don't want to become an agent of the Dark Side, Skye." _He paused, looking uncomfortable and waited for her to speak.  
_  
_Skye was thoughtful for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. She could understand Darex being worried about falling to the darkside, she was worried about that herself also. In a battle like that it would be so easy to – she had seen Aryian dip into it. The way Aryian's eyes had changed colour like that ... it wasn't a pretty sight and she would hate to see that happen to Darex or herself for that matter.

Thinking about Aryian she wondered what became of him, she hadn't seen him when they had returned to the hanger.

"I think that it would be easy to give in to the dark side, that is why they tell us that Jedi always have to be on guard against it. It is the easy way out. The path of the light is so much harder to stay true to. I know that Jareth fed off my fear, he was probably encouraging my fright when I come to think of it. I was so frightened and I had to fight with three of them... I still can't believe I got through it alive."

Her voice trailed off and she placed a hand on his arm. Taking a deep breath she went on. "I think to show mercy would be another way to fight the darkness. The Sith think nothing of taking lives, but to spare a life, to give them another chance to turn back to the light ... if they can be turned back that would be a greater victory I believe."

She looked around then and noticed that the others were heading towards the awaiting Rebel transports. She indicated that they should board them also, telling Darex that if he needed to talk more, she would listen anytime, but for now they had better get moving. With that they headed over and got onto the first transport shuttle. Finding a seat on the transport Darex resumed their conversation.

"But Skye, was it wrong to want to kill him? Was I giving into the Dark Side in that desire?"

She looked back at him, giving careful thought before answering.

"What does your heart tell you? I think you already know the answer and just want me to confirm it for you. I can't say what is right or wrong for you. Heaven knows I have enough trouble staying true to myself."

The last part was said more to herself than to Darex and she looked down at her hands. She had done a lot of soul searching herself on that battlefield. She felt she had reached a pinnacle when she had finally controlled her fear during the battle with the Sith Lord Neo. She had not given into fear then, instead she had pushed it aside and replaced it with a fierce determination to live. She now felt more alive and found it was so much easier to tap into the Force.

She was brought out of her reverie by the touch of Darex's hand to her face as he brushed away some of the dirt. Her breath caught in her throat and she could feel herself blush. Her mind centred around him then, focusing on the tall blonde man that had become one of her closest companions.

Skye's thoughts were abruptly interrupted again as she and Darex were thrown to the floor of the transport. Pain ripped through her body and she let out cry of anguish. _NO! This can't still be happening!_

The transport they had entered was in flames and the debris all around. She tried to sit up but the pain was intense. Skye whimpered with the pain and lay back down, slowly assessing the damage done to her. It felt like the wounds on her back have been opened up again and she might have fractured her ribs. She tried to take a deep breath only to have it catch in her throat from the pain it induced. Her arms were intact but the dagger wound in her leg had been added to by shrapnel, the other leg seemed ok.

She lay there for a moment more, trying to call the Force to at least try and dull the pain. Oh how she wished that she could have had time for training on Force Healing. She tried desperately to recall what she did for that canine but her mind came up blank.

"**Darex!**" She cried out, looking around her in desperation to see if he was alright, seeing that he was lying on the floor on the other side of the transport. Gathering her remaining strength she clawed her way painfully over to him. She could see his chest rise and heard his labored breathing but at least he was alive. Reaching his side she stretched her hand out to him. The pain from her fractured ribs became too much with the effort to reach out and she lost consciousness due to the intense pain that shot through her body.

Skye came around to the sound of another of the hopeful's voices. Wracking her brain she came up with his name – Ish. Pain still tore through her body so she didn't want to move much.

"Wait a moment, I have to get him out" 

She watched as he moved over to Darex, lifting him up and carrying him out the hatch of the burning transport. A short while later he was back to help her, throwing her arm around his shoulders and helping her to stand. She leaned heavily on him as he helped her out of the disintegrating ship and over to Darex.

_"We've got to get you out of this weather with those injuries and signal for a ship to get us"_ Ish said in between deep breaths. He smiled at her as she could see he was exhausted. _"Phew, i guess i need more training"_ he snickered trying to liven the moment a bit in this dark time.

Ish carried Darex over to an overhang on the side of wall of rock. He then helped Skye over as well just to keep them out of site as Ish did not know what Sith or imperials were lurking about. He then went back out from under the ledge to look for a ship to take them away from the destruction.

While he was gone, Skye was able to recover somewhat, re-evaluating her injuries. She wasn't quite as bad as she first thought she was. Her ribs were sore but feeling carefully around them she felt that they weren't broken as she had first thought, feeling instead like they were just badly bruised. She checked over her leg wound, ripping the arm of her jacket off and using that as a make shift bandage. She then tore the other off, ripping it into strips and used that to dress the worst of Darex's many wounds.  
  
Looking up again she noticed that Ish had managed to flag down a ship. Watching it land she saw Scorp disembarking and making his way over to the wounded pair.  
  
With a few quick words to Ish, Scorp moved to pick up Darex, carrying him to the ship while Ish again helped Skye to her feet. Slowly they made their way across the icy tundra and into the waiting ship, moving into the common room where they found Darsha. Between the two injured girls, they got Darex comfortable while Scorp and Ish went forward to the cockpit, lifting off and flying over the battleground.  
  
A short while later Scorp came running back through the ship and made his way up to an exit hatch, quickly jumping from the hovering ship into a snow drift and was off to assist someone else. Skye made her way forward to the cockpit then and slid into the co-pilots seat next to Ish.  
  
_"OK we're going to make a dash in his ship for the rebel fleet"_ Ish said to her as she slid gingerly into the seat. She was running on an adrenaline rush and aching literally from head to toe by this stage as well as being concerned for Darex. He was still unconscious.   
  
Skye watched as Ish grabbed the duel control throttles and positioned them to hover the ship up higher into a clearing where he could take of in a more direct approach to space. Once in position, Ish throttled forward hard and the ship jolted towards space with the jedi hopefuls aboard.  
  
As the ship shot into space, they could see the fleets spread out about the planets surrounding space. He keyed in on the rebel ships. As he did Ish looked over at Skye, who, while injured was still alert. _"Can you hail the rebel fleet on the com link and ask them to let us dock?!"_  
  
Skye nodded once and reached for the comm panel to signal the rebel fleet.   
  
"This is Skye Organa requesting permission to dock. We have injured onboard so will require medical assistance."  
  
Turning back to Ish she felt a shudder go through her that was similar to what she felt when Ben'a, Keiran and Dhan-Jaroe Kenobi passed on, becoming one with the force.  
  
"Did you feel that? Something just happened to Scorp."  
  
Skye then felt the wave of grief from Darsha at the passing of Scorp and Master Ryoo. Placing a hand on Ish's shoulder, she told him that she was needed in the back, gingerly she made her way back to check on both Darex and Darsha, offering the later comfort. Darex was still unconscious but his breathing sounded better than it did before.   
  
Skye grabbed for another medpack and sunk down onto the other bunk, asking Darsha to redress her wounds for her. She could feel the blood oozing from the bandages on her back and she could also see that the one on her leg needed changing too. She was beginning to feel light-headed from the blood loss and suggested to Darsha, that once she had finished, she help Ish in the cockpit. Skye thanked her and lay down on the bunk to rest.

Skye closed her eyes for a moment. She heard Ish receiving clearance to land and felt the ship touch down gently in the hanger. Focusing inwards she checked on her injuries finding that she was not as badly injured as she had first thought. She had bruised two ribs as well as having the dagger and shrapnel wounds. Opening her eyes and visually looking over some of her wounds, she noticed that some of the smaller one's had been closed over. Briefly she remembered feeling a tingling sensation while they were still on Hoth waiting for Scorp to pick them up, so assumed that another Jedi had tried to Force Heal her. Again she wished she knew how to use that ability and swore to herself that she would somehow learn how.

The medics arrived then to move them all to the medical wing. She observed them placing the still unconscious Darex on a stretcher and carrying him out, before another was brought in for her. She protested against having to be placed on a stretcher but gave up arguing against them, knowing that she wouldn't win. They carried her into the med wing and into an examination cubical where she was examined, her wounds dressed with bacta patches and she was allowed to shower and get cleaned up. She was then led to a ward and allocated a bed next to Darex and Darsha, who had also been cleaned up. Darex had regained consciousness while she had been getting seen to and she was glad to see him now awake. She lay back and closed her eyes again, feeling exhausted from the battle on the planet below.

A while later, Skye heard Darex asking if she was ok and opening her eyes, turned her head in his direction mustering up a smile. "As good as can be expected I guess", she answered him.

Her eyes then scanned the room for Darsha, extending a hand sympathetically in her direction, feeling her pain over losing her friend and her Master. "Darsha, how are you holding up? I can feel how upset you are, I only wish I could do something to help."

Skye had to smile when she hears Darex laugh and comment _"Just that here we are, two Jedi hopefuls and an apprentice, sitting in a ship and licking our wounds. Not exactly the 'invincible Jedi' impression that most people get."_ He was due to go in for an operation very soon and she hoped that all would go well for him.

She laughed slightly at his comment, clutching her sides as the effort hurt her bruised ribs but had to admit that she felt much better now that she was clean and was wearing a black ship suit that had been provided, her previous clothing being little more than rags after the battle.

Skye hadn't seen Ish since they had been brought here and wondered where on the ship he was. Also if he had found out what their destination was. She was now anxious to get fit again and to get back into training, determined that she would not be so unprepared next time she had to face the Sith.

Able to take deeper breathes now that her ribs had been seen to she let herself sink into a meditative trance, concentrating on the words of the Jedi Code. She managed to drift off to sleep feeling safe from harm as the Rebels had moved into hyperspace.

_"Are you feeling better....You look strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark."_

Skye woke and looked up at the sound of Ish's voice, curious to know if he had heard her previous thoughts of wondering where he was just before she had drifted off to sleep.

"I'm feeling much better now... thanks to you." She gives him a gracious smile. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't gotten us off that transport. Do you know where we are headed yet?" Seeing him shake his head, negative in answer.

They'd been on the cruiser for some time now and Skye felt the need to _do_ something. She asked Ish if he knew where the gym was, also asking if he felt like sparring with her. She wanted to practice the Force jumping and using the skills she had picked up from observing the other combatants on the battlefield. She was still feeling stiff and sore but felt that she would loosen up if she could just get moving. Glancing back at Darex and Darsha she told them she would be back later. She wished Darex luck as the medic's arrived to take him for his operation just as she was leaving for the gym.

As they entered the gym Skye felt a massive disturbance in the Force which brought her to her knees. She felt physically ill and could feel herself begin to heave without quite knowing why, only that something terrible had just happened.

Showing more control than she thought she had, Skye managed to control the impulse to vomit. Instead she felt the tears begin to fall unheeded down her face. Whatever had just happened chilled her to her very core. It was like hearing a multitude of voices cry out before being silenced.

She had never felt anything like this before and realized that it was because she was now attuned to the Force. Briefly she wondered why it took so long for her Force powers to manifest, then thought maybe it was a blessing in disguise that they didn't appear earlier.

She glanced over at Ish to see that he was just as affected by the disturbance as she was. She slid across the mats to hug him, both giving and receiving comfort for the wave of grief they had just felt and not caring about the looks they got from the few Rebel soldiers that were also in the gym.

'_It'll be okay Skye. We'll stop them, whoever did this'._ Darex's voice came into her mind. Moving away from Ish and standing up she told him that Darex was awake again, a gentle smile coming across her face briefly breaking through the wave of sadness.

Concentrating Skye closed her eyes and tried to send a message back to him_, "Yes I know, and yes we will stop them, however long it takes."_ She sensed then that he had had his operation. _"How are you feeling now? Should we return to the medical bay? Ish and I didn't get to start our sparring when that disturbance hit us. This communicating in our minds could be quite useful – don't you think?"_

Skye received another force-message from Darex and found that he sounded excited about something.

"_Maybe you should just come to the med bay and we can talk here."_

Darex's message left her puzzled by the tone behind it, making her curious as to what he could be so excited about. Turning to Ish she told him that maybe they should go and check on how Darex was mending. As they went along, Skye looked thoughtfully at Ish, gathering up the courage to ask him about what had been playing on her mind.

"Ummm... Ish, can I ask you something? Before we get back to the medical wing? I don't know if you would be able to offer any advice or not but I need to talk to someone about this... What do you know about how the Jedi Order perceives relationships?"

Ish gave her a quizzical look before answering her.

_"I've always been under the impression that Jedi's were not to have any formal attachment, such a husband or wife, or whatever any other culture or species may call it. I imagine that you can have a good caring friendship... a general caring in essence,"_ Ish ran his hand through his long dark hair. _"Other than that though I believe it's forbidden to have a intimate relationship with another. This is my interpretation of the rules, so don't have me for it. I'm not sure **what** is going on with you and Darex, but I guess that's my answer to your question. I hope I haven't upset you"_ Ish said as he put his arm around Skye's shoulder.

Skye thought carefully before replying, she was very confused about the whole love issue now that she was training to be a Jedi and didn't know exactly what she felt for Darex. On one hand, she did care very deeply for him, but on the other she didn't want or think that he could get too close to her heart after having been hurt before. Was she ready to let love back into her heart? She wasn't quite sure... maybe she needed alittle more time.

"That is kind of what I thought too, but I'm not so sure I can live like that. I've had relationships in the past – before my Force powers started to manifest – but I haven't felt drawn to anyone like this since an ex-boyfriend betrayed me for another. Whatever this is I am feeling, I don't think I _should_ let Darex get too close to my heart. It's like I have built up a wall of ice around it that no-one has been able to melt through yet. I guess I am just confused that I could feel drawn to someone again, but it's different now that I am training to be a Jedi ... isn't it?"

Entering the ward, Skye silently made her way over to Darex, sitting down on the chair next to his bed. Her thoughts were still troubled. She didn't want to lead him on, yet she did wish to be his friend. Their friendship had been steadily growing over the last few weeks and she was afraid that he might want more from her than she was willing to share at this moment in time, maybe once they had gotten to know each other better but not right now.

Skye had a habit of flirting with good looking men and had found an abundance of those at the Jedi Training Facility. The last thing she wanted was to break any of the rules the Jedi – her new family - may have. She wished she had a Master that she could talk to about these things but knew that she would have to wait and see where they ended up first and if she would be taken on by a Master when they got to their destination. In the mean time she would try and find something regarding these matters in the datapads of any library she came across.

Skye turned her attention back to Darex and waited silently to see what he had to say. He had been watching her carefully as she had come in and that only added to her inner confusion about him.  
  
_"Skye, I have to tell you what I'm feeling. I admit that I'm very attracted to you. Just being around you is...intoxicating in a way. I really care about you. However, I can tell you're a bit uncomfortable. If you really want, I can try to stifle my feelings and not bring them up again. But I had to let you know that they exist, and even if you're not interested in a relationship, I still want to be friends."_   
  
While Darex waited nervously for Skye to reply, his own thoughts running around in circles and his head swimming, she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Hearing him speak of his feelings openly to her only confirmed what she was beginning to suspect. She had felt his jealousy when she had gone to the gym with Ish and didn't want him to feel like that. Trying to put her thoughts into words she stayed quiet for a while longer before answering. Now more then ever she needed the guidance of a Master, someone who she could ask about the policies regarding a Jedi's love-life as she was more confused now about her feelings than she ever had been.

"I... care about you Dar, I really do but we are training to be Jedi now. I don't _know_ what their policies are regarding relationships but I have heard the rumors of emotional attachments being forbidden. I can't deny that I am attracted to you also, but ... we can only remain friends, for now at least. Please don't let this jeopardize our friendship..."

She saw Darex take a deep breath as if that was exactly what he had been dreading to hear.  
  
_"If that's how you really feel...I'd rather be friends than ignore each other. But regarding the Jedi policies, I don't understand what you are referring to. Emotional attachment forbidden? I don't know where they came up with that idea. Or where you heard it. Master Orrick encouraged me to pursue my feelings. Maybe you should check on your information again."_ Darex sighed. _"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be upset with you. You're only doing what you think is right. You should go."_  
  
He turned away from her and Skye felt that he was shutting her out. She didn't mean to hurt him.

"_Master Orrick encouraged you? When?" Skye had to ask, her confusion escalated at this new information. She began to think that maybe she was wrong and relationship's weren't as forbidden as she had thought or been told. She felt terrible for hurting Darex... it was the last thing that she wanted to do and she wished that she could take those words back and erase the pain she had just caused. "I... ah... this is hard for me to say... I haven't let anyone get _close_ to me for so long I guess it has become habit to push them away... I am so sorry I hurt you, I never meant for that to happen, I really don't know how I feel right now" Her voice trailed off again. Looking downcast she added "If you want me to go... I will..."_

Receiving the silent treatment from Darex, Skye stood and turned to leave. She was saddened that she had hurt his feelings and wished that she could make it up to him, but his previous jealousy had concerned her more than she thought it would.

Skye headed back over to where Ish stood by the doorway, her expression showing her inner turmoil and sadness. "I'd like that spar now ... I need some action." She was suddenly aware of a strong need to find the other Jedi, knowing that somehow they had found a new home, "Second thoughts, before we spar, maybe we should see if we can get dropped off at Manaan. I don't know why, but I feel we must head there as soon as possible."

Skye headed up to the first Rebel Officer she saw, asking if the Jedi contingent could get dropped off at Manaan.


	4. Chapter 04 A water world & an offer

((I lay no claim to the Star Wars world, just an enjoyment in the worlds that George Lucus created. This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa within the RPG.)) 

**Chapter 04 A Water World & and an Offer  
**  
Skye stepped off the Rebel Transport and made her way ahead of the others deeper into the Eternal Vigilance. She wanted to be alone, to be away from Darex and the confusion he created in her. She wanted action before but now that they were in their new home she felt differently. Finding a nice quiet area in a tranquilly decorated room and she sat down cross-legged on the floor to meditate.  
  
Drawing a deep breath she took hold of her amethyst pendant and sunk into a trance, concentrating on calming her emotions, on cantering herself back to a peaceful state of serenity. She concentrated on creating a bubble of white light, surrounding herself with it, making herself feel like she was floating in the centre of it.  
  
Very softly and taking comfort in them, she murmured the words of the Jedi code:

_There is no emotion .... There is Peace. __There is no ignorance .... There is knowledge. There is no passion .... There is serenity. There is no chaos ...There is harmony. There is no death .... There is the Force._  
  
Completing her mediation Skye opened her eyes and looked around the room she had chosen, noticing that it was one decorated in a forest theme. It reminded her very much of her mother's forest retreat on Corellia, even to the point of being able to hear the sound of trickling water down a waterfall encased within one wall. No wonder she was drawn to it. It had a single bed along another wall, a desk, chair and a hidden wardrobe. All that was needed now to make it feel more like home was some pots with herbs growing in them. She wondered who she could speak to in regards to getting some. It was a pity that her ship had been destroyed on Hoth as she had had seeds and plants scattered around Star Dancer, making it feel homey.  
  
She headed out the door, wandering around the empty corridors, exploring and wondering if she will be taken on as a padawan soon. She hoped so, she would like to be able to learn how to use her Force Powers, she especially wanted to know how to Force Heal. She had always used natural remedies which was why she loved having herbs around her, not only that but the aromatherapy oils and healing crystals and would like to be able to incorporate their use with Force Healing.  
  
Skye had been quietly wandering the corridors, exploring, when she spied someone who looked alittle lost. She thought she might have seen him on Hoth but wasn't certain. Making her way over to him she introduced herself, finding out his name was Xel Navith. She asked when he'd arrived and if he was exploring their new home also. Discovering that he was hungry and feeling alittle that way herself she led him to where she found the mess hall.  
  
"Thanks. I'm gonna get some food. You're welcome to join me if you want." Xel said to her.  
  
Finding that some of the others had already made their way there and that the cooks had been hard at work. She waited in line until she was served her meal and then went to find a table with Xel.  
  
Skye looked up from her meal when Ish arrived at their table and asked if he can join them. She indicated to a vacant chair as she didn't wish to speak with her mouth full. Finishing it, she asked Ish if he still wanted that spar later on, thinking that they still hadn't gotten around to it with all that had gone on. Seeing him nod affirmatively she rose from the table, letting him know that she would catch up with him later on but for now she wanted to continue exploring – she wanted to see where the hydroponics station might be.  
  
She wandered slowly around the corridors, taking in the beauty of the architecture. As she turned another corner she came across two familiar figures. Darex was one and the other was the Master that had distracted the Sith Neo, back on Hoth. She was pleased that she had run into him as she wished to thank him for assisting her, for allowing her to escape Neo's attention.  
  
The two look to be in a discussion so she hung back as not to disturb them, but so that she would be seen.  
  
Skye observed the two head into a room to speak privately. She interested herself in looking at the wall hangings in the corridor while she waited. Considering their last conversation, Skye was unsure of the reception she would get from Darex, but was willing to do anything to remain his friend.  
  
Getting a signal to enter the room, Skye made her way in. Darex looked up at her as she entered, a forced small smile on his face. "I can leave if you'd like," he told her.  
  
"It's ok Darex, you don't have to if you don't want to. I don't mean to interrupt...", Skye answered him as she came forward, the beginnings of a smile appearing on her face, "Friends?" She asked him before turning to Master Tares.  
  
"Master, I would like to thank you for what you did for me on Hoth. I don't think I would have had much of a chance against Neo if you hadn't of intervened, being as I am yet untrained in the Jedi arts." Skye shyly fingered the lightsaber that Orrick had given her, that was hanging on her belt.  
  
"It was no problem at all. I'm sure you could have held your own, I just figured two heads are better than one. Speaking of your untrained state, I'd like to talk with you alittle later about that. For right now, I have a council meeting to attend."  
  
Master Tares nodded to both Skye and Darex and left the room, heading towards the council chambers.

As Skye and Darex followed Master Tares out of the room, Skye looked up to see Ish coming towards them from the opposite direction from what Master Tares took.

""How are you doing," Ish called out to them as he neared their position.

She greeted Ish with a smile and the three of them headed back to the mess hall, Darex to eat while the other two kept him company. Skye was sipping at her caffa when another sat down opposite them.

"Hi Ben'a." She said looking up at him, "Where is Aryian? I haven't seen him for a while, is he ok?"

Skye sat quietly sipping at her caffa as Ben'a, Ish and Darex ate, getting a silent message from Ben'a that he needed to have nourishment before answering her questions. Once he'd finished eating, he spoke to the three hopefuls.

"First of all, I have not eaten in quite some time, so I apologize for my haste. And in regards to my padawan, he is...asleep...that is all I can say to explain it. Thankfully, he should be well cared for by the medical droids, so I need not worry about him for the time being." Ben'a drained his glass, then continued. "My other apprentice is, I fear, lost...but not dead. He is out there, somewhere, but before I can look for him, I have matters to attend to.

The three of you, Ish, Skye, and Darex, share a bond, though it is ill-defined at the moment. I feel that, through continuous training between you with the guidance of a Master possessed of great wisdom, you will be a great force within the Order. However, I am not anywhere near that, and so I fear you will have to wait until someone long in service to the Jedi comes along." Again, Ben'a paused to regard the three.  
  
"The best course of action for now, I feel, is for you three to sort out the feelings you have for each other. Passion, emotions, and chaos that serves no useful purpose must be purged from yourselves if you wish to avoid corruption from the dark side. Though I suspect you may grow sick of being lectured on this, it is nonetheless true; unrestrained emotions lead to unfettered passions, that result in chaotic actions that disrupt and destroy. But I have faith in the Force and in you three, that you can work it out, and that you will acquit yourselves exceptionally well in the trials that lie ahead. But in the meantime, I must leave you. May the Force be with you..."

Skye listened carefully as Ben'a began to speak and was surprised by his words. She felt herself blush when he instructed the three of them to sort out their feelings for one another. She knew how Darex felt about her and had been fighting the mutual attraction but she had been unaware of Ish feeling anything other than friendship for her. If this was the case then it was no wonder Darex had shown jealousy when she had gone off with Ish to the gym before. She had been treating Ish as she would a younger brother and hadn't realized that her actions might be taken in a different context. She observed Ben'a rise from the table and make his way out before she turned back to the other two men.

"Well, I think we should take his advice," Darex said slowly. "We should talk. I don't want to fall to the Dark Side, and if talking out our feelings will help, I'm ready."

Skye agreed with Darex that they all needed to talk about this and followed him to the small water decorated room, saying to Ish as they went that she would spar with him once they had spoken of these matters.

Taking a seat she thought back to her last conversation with Darex in the medical bay, back on the Rebel Transport. "Darex, I know I hurt you with what I said before and I am sorry for that. I really do like you. I just don't want you to get hurt because of me. If we get into a situation that we both need to make spit second decisions, I don't want our feelings getting in the way of the greater good. I hope you can understand me in this. If there is a way that we can deal with our emotions without falling to the darkside ... well, how about we just take things day by day, step by step and see what happens. I think we both need to seek out the guidance of a Master before we can take things any further."

She paused, taking a deep breath to settle herself before turning to Ish. "I've come to think of you as a younger brother. I hope that this doesn't offend you in anyway. If you're ready for that spar now I think it might be a good time." She slapped her hands on her legs as she stood up ready to go.

Seeing that Darex was lost in his thoughts and feeling his need to meditate they leave him there while they seek out the gym. Skye paused to say, _"May the Force be with you"_ to Darex before leaving the room.

"Too many interruptions!" Ish exclaimed harshly with a cynical laugh. He hopped up from the table, and nodded to Darex and then extended his hand in the direction oh the doorway to show Skye out.

Skye preceded Ish out the door and headed down another corridor thinking that it wouldn't hurt to explore abit more on the way to finding the gym. Hearing the annoyed tone of Ish's voice, she turned back to him saying, "Patience is a virtue ... easier said than done I know but we will get to spar". She gave a little laugh trying to lighten the darkening mood.

They wandered through several more corridors before Skye caught a particular scent in the air. Quickening her pace to a sprint she flew down the corridor, laughing as she skidded to a halt in front of a wide doorway. Taking a deep breath then sighing as she released it she gently pushed the door open, not waiting for Ish to catch up, but sensing that he was not far behind her.

Inside she found the hydroponics station. Her eyes widened at the extent of it and she slowly made her way around the various forms of plant life. She went from plant bed to plant bed, caressing leaves and identifying some of the plants but not all of them, seeing herbs, vegetables and fruits amongst others. She found that each one had been planted with companion plants alongside and each look very healthy indeed. She touched a mint leaf, gently bruising the leaf and inhaling the scent.

With her eyes sparkling she spun around to where Ish was standing, watching her. "I'm in heaven now Ish!" She performed a joyful pirouette and broke into laughter. "You probably think I'm crazy now... come on, we'll head to the gym now. I found what I'd been looking for."

She then led him down to gym, taking up two bamboo poles and throwing him one before moving to the center of the mats and taking up a defensive stance. Ish moved straight into attacking her, his first blow directed to Skye's right side as Ish crossed over his own body holding the pole with both hands. She blocked him and concentrated through the force, trying to pick his next moves before he made them. Ish dashed back using the force quickly and hunkered down. In and instant he lunged out from his crouched position and jumped over Skye and twisted himself in mid air so he was positioned to strike at her when he hit the ground. He swung his weapon at Skye's ankle so as to take her to the ground, and he succeeded with a hit.

Surprise showed on her face after his successful hit but Skye recovered smoothly, a mask of calmness dropping over her face to hide her next move. She let the Force dictate her actions, feeling it swirling around her and didn't resist it, instead she let it guide her moves. After flipping back to her feet she went on the offensive using the force to push Ish backwards and followed quickly with a flurry of strikes to his upper body, then swiftly to his legs.

Ish was sent reeling as he attempted to block Skye's strikes. One hit him in the shoulder, but did not fall him. The next strike however met his shins to which he fell and rolled so as to keep his momentum going. He recovered and hunkered down so as to keep a low target. Both combatants were separated by about three meters. Again Ish crouched down extending one of his legs out from under him and held his stick diagonally across the front of him.

He leapt up at Skye who had her stick right at his sticking point already. Instead of using his stick, he swept his leg towards hers to trip her, but she barely hopped over his long sweeping leg. Ish resumed a more standing posture and came at Skye with a barrage of swings that were small and concise. Each swing accept for the last was parried with ease by Skye. Both Ish and Skye were moving at frantic paces. His last strike hit her squarely on the upper arm as she had it extended holding her pole out. She winced mildly then regained her stern composer and came back at him. 

_'Hmmm that one's sure to bruise...'_, Skye silently said to herself. She gathered herself quickly and sprung over Ish, striking as she sailed over him before landing nimbly on the mats. Spinning back to face him she noticed he was closing the gap between them so extended her hand towards him with a gesture to sweep his feet from under him, feeling the force do her bidding. She hadn't yet gotten the control needed to complete the action but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. _'I'm getting the hang of using these Force powers ... they could come in very handy if I learn to use them right.'_ Using another flurry of strikes she moved against him once more.

Ish sprinted around her, circling and attacking her on all sides as quickly as he could. Skye instinctively closed her eyes and let the Force help her deflect his blows. She could see where he was going to strike before he moved and could move to deflect accordingly but she could feel herself tire and knew the same of Ish. She wasn't going go back down yet. She was enjoying stretching and testing her limits and new skills. In a slight lapse of concentration one of his blows got through her defenses to land on her hip. She used the momentum of the blow to roll with it and away from him pushing the pain from her mind for the time being. Rising to her feet once more she looked warily at him, just watching and waiting for his next move.

In a sudden move she straightened up, still slightly defensive and allowed a smile to come across her face, bowing slightly to Ish. "I think we're well matched here. I know I'm feeling the strain of this battle and I think you are too. How about we call it a draw?"

Ish agreed emphatically with Skye's request. He bowed to her as well and they both put back their bamboo poles on the rack. He walked with Skye over to the shower blocks, Ish going his way, while Skye went hers. He called out as he went,

"I'll see you later! Maybe we can meet up for something to eat again when you want."

Skye started to head towards the shower block but stopped realizing she had nothing to change into. She went in search of a clothing store, wondering if she would be able to find something suitable. She eventually came across one and asked the protocol droid what he had in the way of ship suits. She chose one in a deep midnight blue and made a beeline straight back to the shower block, sighing as she stepped into the cubicle and the hot water hit her.

Feeling one hundred percent better she headed to a laundry mat to clean her clothing. Sitting on the floor in a corner she meditated while she waited. Collecting her now clean clothes she headed back to her room to put them away, debating whether or not to grab something to eat or to lie down and sleep. Sleep won out, she curled up on her bunk and was soon sound asleep.

Skye woke up refreshed and relaxed after a good night's sleep. She quickly got dressed and headed to the mess hall to break her fast. She looked around, not seeing anyone she knew in there yet and thought that it must be too early for them. She went over to a table that was covered with breakfast items. Skye grabbed a bowl of cereal and a caffa and headed over to a corner table to have her meal, wondering what she would get up to this day.

"Mind if I join you?"

Skye glanced up to see Master Tares standing by her table and nodded in agreement.

"I don't mind Master. I would be glad of the company."

They ate in companionable silence until they were joined by someone else that she hadn't met.  
  
"Master Vortex. I am in search of Kirlocca. I was left on Hoth after a stone crushed my legs. I guess the Jedi just forgot me in the rush. I heard Kirlocca was here but I have not seen him."

Skye shifted over to make room for the newcomer as he sat down beside her after speaking to Master Tares.

"Hi there, I'm Skye... and you are?" She says with a welcoming smile.

"I am Ryan." He offered her his mechanical hand.

"Hi Ryan, nice to meet you," Skye replied shaking his hand. She noticed that it was mechanical, assuming that he must have lost the limb in a battle somewhere. The fact that it is artificial didn't concern her as she had known someone in her past that had the same injury. She released his hand and took a sip of her caffa.

"So how long have you been with the Jedi, Skye?" Ryan asked her, making conversation while Master Tares was busy eating his breakfast.

Placing her cup back down on the table Skye turned slightly to face him.

"For a bit over a month. I'd only just begun the class lessons before the Sith struck at Hoth." Glancing back at Master Tares she again said to him how grateful she was for his intervention, before turning back to Ryan and asking him the same question in turn.

"I've been with the Jedi for a few years, and still have not been trained that much. As you can see, I am mostly machine. And this is because of the Jedi. I have fight with the Jedi lots of times, each time I end up with a new bionic part. But I stay with them. I believe I am probably their most loyal padawan."  
  
Ryan looked into his cup watching the swirling drink, then looked over at Skye and smiled, adding:  
  
"Sounds kind of funny does it not."

Skye became thoughtful "I wouldn't say that it was funny. Your loyalty is admirable." She gave him another smile before taking another sip of her caffa, soon finishing her cup of caffa and thinking of getting another.

"I'm glad someone thinks that." Ryan says to her.

Master Tares smiled at him then, "If you remain here, you may just become a droid if you aren't careful. Have you ever considered alternate means of replacing your lost limbs?"

Before Ryan could answer him, another had joined them. Skye looked up to see a Wookie observing Ryan and guessed correctly that he was Ryan's Jedi Master.

"Do you mind if your Master sits with you and tries to take some stuff off his mind?"

Ryan got up quickly to his feet bowing to Kirlocca.  
  
"Yes master take a seat. I have been talking with Skye. So Master, what have you been up to."

Kirlocca sat down and breathed deeply. He looked at his padawan with a sombre look on his face.  
  
"My padawan, I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you. But my life, my mission as a jedi, is one that is hard to have a padawan. My life must be devoted to this mission, I can understand you if you don't understand. Being my padawan will be a hard life, harder then any other jedi life would be. You are a good padawan, I can ask for nothing more then that."

Master Tares had finished his breakfast by this time, standing he nodded to Kirlocca, and smiling said, "Well if you excuse me, I think it's time for my morning run."  
  
He left a datapad infront of Skye and when she glanced down at it, she saw his "padawan proposal letter". She watched Master Tares leave then glanced at the datapad again, a feeling of excitement overcoming her. Ryan had glanced down at the datapad as well but she wasn't concerned. She was too happy to be concerned, she was about to become a Padawan. Skye struggled to keep a smile from her face as she turned to Ryan, Master Kirlocca and to Jedi Knight Hou Jo Poleb who had just joined them at their table.

"If you will please excuse me I have somewhere that I need to be." She gave them a bright smile that she can no longer contain and turned to leave. Ryan spoke just as she stood up.

"Skye, if its what you want, you should go to Tares. He is a good Jedi and knows his stuff. I think you should go train with him."

Hearing Ryan's comment confirmed that she was making the right decision. She gave a quick wave as she left them. "I'll see you later Ryan, nice meeting you."

Quickly she left the mess hall in search of Master Tares. Her search ending soon as Tares found the young hopeful, instead of the other way around. With a smile he spoke.

"Ah, good to see you got to read my letter to you. May I assume that you accept my proposal?"

"I would be honored to accept your proposal Master" Skye replied, a smile lighting up her face. She gave a slight bow and tried to contain her excitement.

Tares smiled, "Very good, when would you like to begin?"

Skye felt like she may burst with joy at being chosen to be a padawan. Her thoughts then sobered as they centered on Darex and Ish, who had yet to be chosen and she wondered how they would take her news, hoping that they would be happy for her. Pushing those thoughts aside for the time being she met Master Tares eyes.

"Anytime is fine with me Master."

"Well, if you are up for alittle running, we can start now if you wish." Taking off in his normal jog, he began, "So tell me what you think about the force...."

Skye joined him in his run, matching his pace and giving careful thought to his question.

"To be honest, I don't know that much about the Force, having only found out in the last few months that I had the ability. I know that many have the ability to use it, or be used by it, for either good or bad purposes. I guess it is up to the individual which way they use the Force... for the greater good or for evil. I know I have a lot to learn and am more than willing and I have a habit of letting my conscious dictate my actions."

Tares smiled as they neared a doorway, "Very interesting. I believe we should start with some combat training."  
  
Entering, he made his way over to a control panel and activated the holographic display. In the middle of the room, a brown robed being appeared. The holocron quietly smiled as he waited for instruction.  
  
Loading all the information on known combat styles, he turned to Skye, "As a Jedi, sometimes the need to fight arises. It is in these situations that knowledge of combat is key. Through my teaching, actually learning a style will take but a few moments. However, training is still required since knowledge alone isn't comparable to experience. I will let you decide what you wish to learn...."

Skye had slowed her pace, stopping just inside the doorway, quietly observing as Master Tares headed over to the control panel. Seeing the holocron appear and smile, she responded in kind.

She nodded her head in agreement as her Master informed her about the need for knowledge of combat and, because of her inexperience knowing only too well the need for learning those techniques after what had happened on Hoth.

She fingered the lightsaber Orrick had given her that still hung on her belt. She hadn't used it at all during that battle as she knew she would need training on how to handle its use, instead she had found a vibroblade and used that. Lightsaber training being another thing she wanted to rectify.

Out of the combat styles, she was partial to both Stava and K'tara styles. The idea of stealth caught her fancy. Her thoughts went back to the battle at Hoth and she thought that Stava would have given her a better chance in close combat when Neo had attacked her. She informed Master Tares of her choices.

Tares nodded, "Very well."  
  
Motioning for the young padawan to sit on the floor, he himself took a spot on the floor and relaxed. "Over the years I have discovered a focus of a specific mental aspect of the force. Whereas the normal force user uses this mental aspect to do things like mind tricks, I've developed several techniques to form mental links with others. Between these links, there is a world the users share in which time is different."

Drawing up the force, he breathed in, "To teach you these arts, would normally take many years to just know the techniques. However I can reduce this portion of training by placing a link between us. However realize that even if you know the techniques, it will take much training to make them effective in combat. Let's begin."

Following Master Tares instructions, Skye sat cross-legged on the floor facing him and let herself relax. She nodded her head in acceptance when he informed her about creating the link between them. She had often wondered about these links, or Force bonds, having read and heard stories about them and now she would find out about them first hand.

Her only hesitation was that she was unsure of how she would be able to hide her emotional confusion and attraction for some of the men on this ship from her master, if he wasn't already aware of it. So far she had found him to be very perceptive.

She closed her eyes, pushing that doubt aside and opened her mind to him. She was unaware of the time involved, only aware of the knowledge her master imparted to her was now there in her memory.

With a link between them, what seemed like months spent learning, passed with in a few minutes. After sometime, the two woke up, "How do you feel?" Master Tares asked....

Hearing him ask how she felt, Skye carefully gave consideration before answering. Her eyes fluttered open and she met her master's. She tried to order her thoughts, to put them into perspective.

"I feel the same, yet somehow different. More... aware I guess." She mentally reviewed the new information, visualizing the actions of what had been implanted.

Tares smiled, "Good, from this point on it will be your job to train in these arts each morning. With in time, they will become second nature to you. Just remember, the ability to fight is only one component to being a jedi. The ability to only fight when needed, is something else."  
  
Standing up, he stretched for a few moments, "So tell me. What direction do you see yourself heading in during your training. What kind of jedi do you wish to become?"

Skye automatically returned his smile and gave consideration to his statements, agreeing with an incline of her head, her acceptance of training every morning.

Standing also, Skye pondered his question.

"I am interested in the healing arts master."

Nodding along, Tares thought for a few moments. It was rare to see a Jedi these days interested in something other than battle. "The healing arts are a noble thing to dip into. I think you will find them quite an experience."  
  
With that he brought up the holocron again and keyed up some information on the typical Jedi healing arts and healer....

Skye took in the information, eager to learn all she could. Some of her idea's on healing seem more unorthodox and varied to the holocron's information but she found herself enthralled by it none the less. The idea of being able to save lives instead of destroying them was foremost in her mind.

Once again nodding, Tares smiled at the thought. It seemed he would finally get to dip into the healing arts once again, instead of being used as a war machine.  
  
"Very good. In that case, lets talk for a bit. What path led you to becoming a jedi?" 

Sinking down to the floor again and getting comfortable Skye tilted her head to one side and looked up at Master Tares.

"Well, I guess the turning point was at Telos ... I saw a canine hit by a speeder and went to it's aid. I thought it would die but somehow I revived it, I still don't know how I did it." A look of puzzled wonder crossed her face as she paused to think back on it for a moment.

"Whatever it was that I did, it was witnessed by someone who I now realise was a Jedi. He told me that I shared the gift of the Force and that if I was interested in developing the talent that he would give me the co-ordinates of a training establishment. That turned out to be Hoth."

"Once at Hoth I had an overwhelming need to speak with my mother on Corellia. I spoke with Orrick about it and came to a compromise, that I would try and contact her via comm link rather than to leave off training to go to her. I got straight through to her and found out that the she had been worried about telling me who my father was." Skye paused again, struggling to control her roiling emotions. She fingered her amethyst pendant and took a few deep breaths before she continued.

"She only told me because I had started training. My father was a Jedi, strong in the Force. I had been told that he was just a family friend on the few occasions in which he visited us and it was he who gave me this pendant..." Her voice trailed off and she waited for her Master to say something.

"Hmm, an interesting path to say the least. Life has a seemingly random way of bring an unlikely bunch together under one purpose."  
  
Taking a seat on the floor next to Skye, Tares took a couple breaths then continued, "There is no denying that like your father, you as well are strong in the force. Your early talents at healing are a testament to that. However, there is also no denying the deep emotion you hold with in you. Some would label these emotions good and bad, obviously the bad ones straying you towards the darkside. Yet I would call them human emotions. Now the question is, what will you do? Suppress these emotions, let them control you, or you control them?"

Skye felt a slight shiver go through her at the thought of the darkside getting a hold on her, but at the same time she didn't think she could remain 'emotionless' as she had heard most Jedi referred to as. Besides which, she very much doubted that she could handle a life without love in it.

"I don't think it would be healthy to suppress emotions Master, but at the same time I don't want them to control me. Can you teach me how to control them, so that they won't lead me astray. I would hate to fall to the darkside." She glanced across at Master Tares. "I... uh... don't think I could live without love either," she added softly, blushing, her voice just above a whisper as she said the last. She knew it is a subject that needed to be broached, her thoughts going to Darex and the other good looking men aboard the Eternal Vigilance at the present moment.

Tares laughed, "To live a life with out love is not life at all. Sadly, it's merely like an empty shell, nothing there but space, and pain. I would hate to condemn any padawan of mine to that fate."  
  
Stretching out with the force, the jedi could sense thoughts of Darex in her mind, "I figured this would be a subject on your mind. If I may ask, and hopefully offer some help in such a confusing situation, how do you feel towards him?"

Skye could feel herself blushing furiously in embarrassment. She only meant the question in a general sense and didn't mean for her thoughts to go in his direction, least of all for her Master to pick up on them.

"I... uh... I'm not sure Master. I mean... I like him, but... oh... I don't know!" She shook her head and tried to order her flustered thoughts. Taking another deep breath she tried again. "I do like him Master, but I am not sure where it will lead. He is much younger than I am and I'm unsure what to do about the age difference... if anything at all." She looked down at her twisting hands than gasped as she realized what she had just said, a guilty look crossing her face. She didn't mean to speak so candidly.

Tares just kept smiling, "There is no reason to feel guilty about your feelings. The position you find yourself in isn't all that uncommon. Infact, I faced a similar situation when I was but a child. A girl was involved one of the same training programs as myself. Unfortunately, the program forbid any type of 'useless' relationship as they defined a boy's crush on a girl. Looking back, I know now it was probably just lust. Yet love and lust seem to be nearly identical at times. I never acted upon those feelings, and here I am today still loveless."  
  
Keeping his smile, Tares began to stretch, "I'm afraid my experience with love is limited. However, I can tell you that from what I observe of you, your emotions at this level are natural, and well under control. I believe that the answers you seek will present themselves in time...."

Hearing her Master speak of his own experience made Skye feel alittle less embarrassed and she looked up at him. She knew only too well the difference between lust and love and wasn't quite sure what it was she actually felt towards Darex, while she couldn't deny that she was attracted to him it could be only lust. She also didn't know if she really wanted it to go any further.

_"...the answers you seek will present themselves in time..."_ these words echoed around her mind.

After the conversations she had had with Darex she didn't know how he actually felt anymore. Tapping into the Force she stretched out her senses to see where he was, finding him wandering the corridors of the Eternal Vigilance. Stretching them further she located Ish in the arboretum, her feelings towards him were easy to fathom. She treated Ish as she would treat a brother.

Opening her eyes once more she met her Master's gaze. Curiosity getting the better of her she found herself asking, "You haven't been in love Master?"

"Love takes time to grow beyond the stages of lust. Unfortunately, I never have gotten past the lust stage." He said with a smile.  
  
Sensing Keiran from behind, Tares raised his hand, "Let me ask you Keiran, have you ever been in love?"

Skye felt sympathetic towards her Master when he told her he hadn't felt more than lust but couldn't help trying to hide a smile. Her thoughts briefly went to her last 'love'. He had been tall dark and handsome and she had felt special when she was with him. Their love affair had lasted only six months though as she caught him cheating on her. Her thoughts were then tinged with sadness as she remembered the pain that moment caused. Yes, love could feel great, but just as easily it could cause pain as well. It was an experience she thought everyone should be able to share. This had happened well over a year ago and she hadn't been involved with anyone since, for fear of getting hurt again. Now that she had gotten over that pain, she was ready to let love back into her life again... if she found the right man.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present as she realized someone else was with them and heard her Master address Keiran, asking if he'd ever been in love. _'Hmmm passing the buck are we Master'_ ...she cheekily thought, her previous embarrassment forgotten as she listened for his reply.

Keiran stood with a smirk on his face before answering Master Tares.  
  
"Love? No, too young, and I'm generally not looking for it. However like you, lust has come and gone multiple times. As a matter of fact there was this one dancer at Whyl the Hutt's palace during my bounty hunter days. Perfect thighs... Gorgeous face..."  
  
Keiran trailed off, then realized he was ranting and shook his head.  
  
"Anyways, I wished to inform you of my rebirth after my death. Jareth and I met in a separate dimension of sorts, we discussed and explored the force in ways not possible for the living. I feel like a whole new jedi now, and I plan to bring my new insights out in my work. Onderin and I completed his basic saber training at my penthouse on Coruscant. We then returned to Hoth, not sure of where the jedi had relocated to. We found a 500m radius circle of devastation. There was no snow in this circle, it was all melted, by imperial bombardment. I found a survivor of the barrage who informed me that the imperials had infiltrated the research lab. The survivor did not know what type of research the lab specialized in but he did tell me of our new base here on Manaan. Unfortunately, the survivor wanted die in peace, so we let him be and came here. Onderin has completed his basic saber training, and I feel the next step in his training is to progress to the real world. If you have any assignments you wish completed, please, tell me of it and we will do our best to complete it. Real world experience is what Onderin needs now."

Skye stood silently beside Master Tares, listening to what was being said. She was amused by Keiran's answer to her Master's question but kept a straight face. She concentrated then on what else Keiran had to say, about what had happened with him and the Sith, Jareth on Hoth and then to what had happened on his return to the icy planet. She watched Master Tares get to his feet before he answered Kieran.

"Unfortunately our defeat at Hoth has stung alittle. However that should be no reason to take away from training. Now that you mention it, I just may have a mission for your padawan and yourself. You see, my brother just recently took the hideaway of Pacalis City on Munto Codru, and placed the city in space in his new space station. As a result, the rebellion has had to relocate their base. Because of this, we have lost contact with our allies, but I have a feeling more has changed than just their base."  
  
He took a breath, looked at his padawan, then returned his gaze to Keiran, "It will no doubt be a hard task, however I have every confidence in Onderin and you. I want you to try and find the rebellion, if not their base at least make contact with them. If you do find them, tell them that the Jedi haven't abandoned them...."

Her ears pricked up in interest as she heard her Master speak then of his brother – she didn't know he had one. _'Well you learn something new everyday'_ she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't know that much about her Master. She followed the conversation with continued interest.

She sensed others approaching before they had entered the room and glanced towards the doorway just as Ben'a strode in, briefly meeting his eyes before she averted her gaze downwards, smiling slightly. Feeling a very familiar presence her eyes shot back to the doorway just as Darex and Onderin walk in. She smiled at both of them, nodding back to Onderin before looking back to Darex, wondering how he will take her news of being Master Tares padawan. She remained silent as Keiran again spoke.

"Find the rebellion? If their ability to stay hidden is as good as it is made out to be, then it will be a difficult task. However we'll try my best." Keiran turned to Onderin, "Prep the Strife IV for takeoff, and restock the armoury on board. After Hoth my weapons locker was slightly depleted."  
  
As Onderin walked off to complete his tasks, Keiran turned back to Tares.  
  
"Master Tares, there is one more thing I must speak to you about..."

"You can tell me later, right now we have a new arrival." Tares responded as he turned to Ben'a.

"Master Tares, I have been wandering about the ship, with nothing to do, for quite a while now. I wish to go out into the galaxy to do something useful, but something that isn't of a personal nature. When I brought Master Kenobi here, I thought that something might be achieved, but I was disappointed. I need not action or adventure, just something useful; a quest, if you will. Could you help me?"  
  
Ben'a clasped his arms behind his back as he waited for Tares to respond.

As his comm beeped, Tares took it out and gave Kyp clearance to land. From there he looked towards Bena, "I am sorry that Master Kenobi left. The council was busy during the time, and unfortunately we freed up right as he left. Anyways, I do believe I have something in mind for you. We are currently in search for the rebellion. Keiran here and his padawan will be heading out to make contact, however we could cover more ground with a few more agents out on the field. Would you be interested in trying out different locations for Rebel Contact?"

"Yes, Master Tares, I will help the best I can. Your brother was formerly of the Rebellion, was he not?" Ben'a asked.

"For a short time. His connections may lead you to the rebellion. Good luck on your mission, but if you excuse us, I still have alot to teach my new padawan." He said with a smile.  
  
Turning to Skye, he thumbed his belt, "I think alittle field trip is in order...."

Skye brought her gaze back to meet her masters, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

"Is there anything I'll need to take with us Master?" Not that she had anything apart from her one change of clothing she thought to herself.

Tares nodded, "Only basic supplies and whatever else you wish. Once you are finished packing I will meet you in the shuttle bay." With a smile he then excused himself to his private quarters.  
  
Twenty minutes of packing led the Jedi to the shuttlebay where he waited....

Skye nodded her head and glanced in Darex's direction. "See you when we get back?" She quietly asked, then added "I meant to tell you that Master Tares had taken me as his Padawan but hadn't had the chance to."

She paused for a moment longer then headed out the door and back to her room, packing her spare change of clothing, in total one black shipsuit.. 'I really should try and get another set I guess, maybe something other than a shipsuit too' she told herself as she headed back out the door.

She quickly scanned the area, searching for Ish and found him still in the arboretum.

"Hi Ish, I haven't got long... I'm on my way to the shuttlebay. Ummm, Master Tares has taken me on as his Padawan and we're heading off world. I don't know when we'll be back but I'd like to catch up when we do?" She left the last as a question.

Sensing that her Master was already waiting for her she waves goodbye to Ish and raced down to the shuttlebay.

Once Skye arrived, both of them boarded his ship and took off....


	5. Chapter 05 Training & a Discovery

((I lay no claim to the Star Wars world, just an enjoyment in the worlds that George Lucus created. This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa within the RPG.))

**Chapter 5 Training & a Discovery**

From out of the sky, Tares' ship came to the surface and landed. Minutes later the two jedi were out onto the pad. A few meters away stood the Jedi's villa. It was a nice little place, good to train at.  
  
Taking the bags, Tares made his way over to the front door, "I think this place should be perfect for training...."

Skye followed her Master inside. Looking around and taking in the beauty of their surrounds.

"This place is amazing Master..."

"I'm glad you think so. My father had alot of wealth, much that he spent on second, third, forth, and fifth homes all over the galaxy. When he died, he in trusted all his land to me, while my brother took over his company. This place is my favourite." Tares told her as he led the way inside.  
  
Heading into the main living area, Tares sat down the bags and took in the familiar surroundings, "There is a spare bedroom down the hall. My father liked things big, so you should find the room to be alot bigger than anything the Vigilance offers...."

"I can easily see why Master" Skye answered as she slowly headed down the hall in the direction indicated. "It is very lovely here."

She entered the room, putting her bag down on the bed and took in her surrounds_. "A lot bigger than the Vigilance by far Master... that was abit of an understatement..."_ she laughingly thought in his direction.

After getting set himself, Tares made his way back out to the main living room and began preparing a light lunch for the two. It felt good for him to be behind the counter again inside the kitchen. So much war lately had made him forget he had other hobbies besides fighting.  
  
With in a half an hour, Tares was finished making the lunch. A hearty meal made up of sandwiches and soup marked the tray as he sat it down onto the table, _All Jedi should grow up strong and healthy_, he thought....

Leaving the food for a few minutes, Tares decided to try and help Darex out with an old friend. Thus, he sent a message out into space....

Placing her spare clothing in a draw and putting her bag away Skye contemplated the recent events. A lot had happened in such a short time. Her arrival on Hoth and the start of her training, then the Academy attacked. She'd come into contact with three sith lords and managed somehow to keep herself relatively unscathed and had first met the man who was to later become her master. Not to mention the rebel transport being blown up around her and Darex and then Ish pulling them out of the wreckage. Quite an ordeal before they had arrived safely at the Eternal Vigilance.

Thinking back to Hoth again, she remembered how one of the sith, Jareth, had gotten her with a force grip to the throat. _'Hmmm might be a good idea to ask Master Tares how I can get out of that for future reference I think. I don't want to be caught unaware next time... somehow I'm sure there will be a next time although I don't want to be right in that assumption."_ She thought to herself.

Skye wandered back into the living area and over to her master. "Can I help with anything?" she enquired.

After sending the message, Tares noticed his padawan walk in. Shaking his head he smiled, "Nothing to help with. Lunch is served."  
  
Taking a seat at the table, hours of hunger took over the Jedi's body as he dived right into his food. In an attempt to control himself against the pull of hunger, Tares looked up to Skye, "So tell me, back on Hoth when you had your run with that sith. What happened?"

Guessing that her master had picked up on her thoughts through the bond, Skye looked up from her lunch, the scene playing over in her mind's eye.

She hadn't been all that close to where Aryian was fighting Jareth, not even close enough to see the face of her enemy, just close enough to feel the dark presence of the armored figure and to throw a force blast at him. The sith had ignored her to start with, allowing her to retreat to where she had thought she'd be safe and had continued after Aryian although what she had done had helped.

Looking downcast at her plate she spoke. "I guess the sith tracked me somehow by my fear Master. It was the first time I'd come up against the Sith and I was so unprepared for it. The darkness of those armored sith frightened me. He used the Force to grab me by the throat, choking me so I couldn't breathe. He only let go when Aryian attacked him again. While I recovered my breath I started to recite the jedi code, over and over and I gained strength from it. Then I saw Aryian's eyes... they went red Master. I tried to send him a message to remember the code and I think that it worked because I saw him calm down. I also heard the sith taunting him about vanquishing the darkside, that it had been his only strength. I had run then, back to the hanger. Keiran had gone after the sith then." She fell silent then, waiting on her master's response.

Tares nodded, "Interesting, well we can say this for sure, you survived. The force can be a very powerful and dangerous thing. Sadly no one can run from it since it is all over. Yet, those trained enough can hide from it. This is something I will teach you...."

"I would be glad if you would teach me that Master." She finished her lunch and collected the empty dishes, taking them over to the sink and cleaning up.

After that her Master showed her where the gym was so that she could train and left her to it while he went about some other business. She went through her exercises, using the new techniques she had been shown through the holocron. It took her longer than thought to go through them all and as she went through her cool down exercises late in the afternoon, she had what she thought was a daydream...

_Music was playing and the bar was packed. Master Tares was across the room and it was Skye's job to make contact...she was dancing with anyone who asked her to, this should make it easy for their contact to approach. Earlier in the day, Tares had taken her to a hospital so that she could practice her healing techniques and she was happy with her progress. _

_Her contact came up to her, asking her to dance and using the correct identification code. She took possession of the data disk, slipping it into her pocket as they danced. That dance ended and another began with a different partner joining her on the dance floor. Skye made eye contact with her Master, giving him a pre-arranged signal. That was the cue for him to 'cut in' on the dance. She transferred the data disk to him before excusing herself and heading for the 'ladies room'. _

_Coming back out she is approached by another man. There is something familiar about him but she cannot place where she might know him from. He asks her to dance and they move out onto the dance floor. The music changes to a slow rhythmic tune and her partner moves closer to her, their bodies close but not quite touching. She is then aware that another had moved up close behind her and she gets the feeling that something just isn't quite right. _

_She tries to make contact with her Master who is back across the room, talking with some of the other Jedi, only with all the __ysalamiri she isn't able to send him a signal. Somehow she manages to catch his eye, just as her 'dance partner' makes his move. He draws her to him in a close embrace and lowers his mouth to kiss her in one swift movement, effectively silencing any call for help she may make. Silently she screams in the direction of her Master... "Help!" She has a sudden flash of where she had seen this man before and knows that he is a Sith. The man behind her moves closer so that she is wedged tightly between the two of them and she feels something jabbed into her thigh. Blackness starts to take her and she hears them say that they have to get her out of there fast, before anyone realises what is happening..._

As she refocused her eyes she thought of how vivid the daydream was, then thought again that it might not be just a daydream. She went in search of her Master then and related, in detail, what she had 'seen' and asking him what it could mean.

Taking a few moments to think about the words his padawan just stated, Tares thought back. It was an interesting dream to say the least. It would be careless of him to simply dismiss the dream as useless since it was clear, it was something more.  
  
"Perhaps it is a message to you my padawan. Something from the force maybe. A vision of the future, or of someone else's future. What do you think?" He asked her.

"I don't know what to think Master... I've never had something come to me so clear before... and nothing like that. If it is something to do with the future, who would be wanting to contact us?

I get the impression that it wasn't a message for me though master, rather that I was to collect some information to give to you...or for you to pass on to someone else"

Tares raised an eyebrow, "Interesting observation. Well, what ever type of message it is, and regardless who it is for, one thing is for sure; the meaning of this vision is important. This isn't something to be ignored."  
  
Taking a brief moment, Tares sent a comm to the temple, then headed back, "Perhaps more will be revealed in due time...."

She watched her Master as he went over to a comm panel to send off his message then return.

"Yes Master. What would you have me do now?" Skye quietly asked.

Skye had closed her eyes while she stood quietly next to her master when another feeling hit her. A feeling of something... no... of someone familiar to her. He was here, on Naboo. It was someone she felt she should know... but she didn't and it confused her. She stretched out with the Force to locate him and to try and identify him. She couldn't get over how familiar his presence was... and then it hit her.  
  
She had forgotten it at the time but now she recalled the details of a conversation she had over heard... it was between her mother and an 'unknown' man on the comm link and she had been about 10 years old. She now put two and two together and came up with the correct answer. Her Mother had been speaking with her Father, only Skye hadn't known who it was at the time. They had been talking about a boy child... that's it... they were talking about her brother! She had a half brother! And he was here...he was on Naboo! Not knowing if he would 'hear' her or not, she sent out a silent call... aiming it in his direction on the hope that he might hear her... and that he might find her. _"I am here brother... I'll be waiting for you..."_  
  
As her eyes refocused she met her Master's and told him what she had just felt, that she had a brother that was out there 'somewhere' and she had to find him.

Feeling out through the force, Tares could feel the connection between Skye and the being she thought was her brother, "Very interesting indeed. Perhaps we should meet...."

Skye looked in the direction she thought her brother was in... then back towards her master. Her hand going to her amethyst pendant as if in comfort.

"Could we master?"

She was trying to remember the details of the overheard conversation but couldn't recall much of it. Her mother had spoken in a hushed tone, not wanting her to hear if she happened to pass by. But she had heard some of it, enough to know that her mother was feeling hurt, betrayed and angry with this man for some reason that she couldn't fathom at the time. Now she knew it was because he'd had another family...

She stretched out again with the Force... _"Where are you brother... ?"_

_"My master wishes me to find you using the force... We are coming..." Her brother responded._

She heard a reply through the Force and her eyes widened slightly as she looked up at Master Tares.

"They're coming Master... he just told me... and I can feel that he is getting closer..." She had a slight look of wonder on her face as she said this as she felt another familiar presence with him.

Before today she didn't realise that she had a brother and now she was about to meet him face to face and she was alittle bit nervous. Feeling her brother's approach she looked to Master Tares to see if they should go out to meet them.

Tares smiled, "Let us go meet them then."  
  
With that he stepped outside and waited. He looked forward to the meeting....

She followed her master outside and looked in the direction that she felt they were coming from... and waited silently, with anticipation ... until the two finally came into view.

"Well, this is an interesting set of circumstances, isn't it?" Ben'a Solo said lightly.

Skye's hand went up to her amethyst pendant as she looked at her brother. He had the look of their father about him and she wondered if he knew Nichos Katarn better than she had. Oddly she notice he was wearing the clothing of a Sith and she felt an inner pain and turmoil radiating from him. She took a step closer, extending her hand towards him.

"I know you are my brother, I can see how you resemble our Father... but I don't know your name or anything about you..." Her voice trailed off as she looked him over again. Taking a deep breath she added, "I guess we should introduce ourselves... I'm Skye..."

_'Wow, this doesn't happen every day... oops, gotta speak...'_  
Nahstaa took his sisters hand, and said "I'm Nahstaa." His words were simple, but his face was split by a huge grin, and he pulled his sister to him in a hug.  
  
One thing he had noticed about her was that she was somewhat older than him... Whispering in her ear, with his eyes closed, he asked, "Did you know our father well???" He said this sweetly, feeling totally at peace with his sister in his arms.

Skye was somewhat surprised when Nahstaa embraced her, but it felt oddly natural and she found herself hugging her brother back.

_"Did you know our father well???" _

She was silent for a moment before answering.

"No, I haven't seen him since I was about five... although he used to call on the comm link occasionally... but I didn't _know_ he was my father until just recently. I was always told that he was just a family friend."

She paused again, then continued softly.

"The only thing I have to remember him by is this pendant..."

Moving apart from his sister just a little, Nahstaa looked at her pendant...  
Slowly he reached into his shirt, and pulled out a pendant that was the perfect match...  
  
_"No, I haven't seen him since I was about five... although he used to call on the comm link occasionally... but I didn't know he was my father until just recently. I was always told that he was just a family friend." _  
  
_'Ohh no, she doesn't know... I'm just going to have to tell her straight up...' _Nahstaa thought.  
  
"I haven't seen our father for years now, and before my little... incident with the sith, I got word of him... He... is no longer with us..."  
  
As he said this, he pulled his sister close once again, supporting her. As he did this, he tried to comfort her by sending her feelings of love and warmth to her through the bond that was forming between them....

Skye smiled as she saw Nahstaa's matching pendant. Their father had made sure that they would have something to identify each other with. Noticing Nahstaa's face become serious at her reply regarding their father and he broke the news of his death to her.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as she choked back a sob. She hadn't known her father ... hadn't seen him for years and now she knew she would never get that chance. She let herself feel the grief, a picture of him forming in her mind as she had last seen him and she let her tears flow... not holding them in, feeling that if she released them her emotions could be controlled and the grief to be let go.

As she opened herself up to the force she could feel a bond forming between herself and her brother. It was different from the one she had with her Master and she tried to analyze the differences. She felt her siblings love and she returned it. Composing herself, she pulled away from her brother, feeling a smile replace the tears as she looked on him.

Turning back to Master Tares and Jedi Knight Ben'a she asked "So what happens now?"

Dhan-Jaroe Kenobi walked over to where the others were:  
  
"Tares, I noticed your presences arriving here shortly after I did, I wasn't followed, now was I?"

Tares smiled to DJK, "No we didn't follow you. My villa is here, which my padawan and I came to train at. Instead though, we discovered a few new friends. If you haven't met my company, this is Skye, Ben'a, and a new friend of mine, Nahstaa."  
  
He looked around, "I guess now the only thing to do is invite you all in. Wouldn't want to get sunburned from all this love...."

"We've met before," Ben'a says to Tares with a smile. "Skye, I've known since Hoth, and Master Kenobi, I first met not that far from here on Naboo. It was the Force that drew me to meet Nahstaa on Coruscant." He turned to Skye and Nahstaa, then, to answer their question.  
  
"You ask what will happen next, and with good reason. I can sense the joy that the two of you feel at being reunited after so long, and I am glad that I could help with this. But the question you pose is one that you yourselves, and no one else, can answer. The path that lies before you has, and always will, depend on the choices you make. Now I must ask the both of you: what do you choose for yourselves?"

Master Kenobi spoke to Master Tares, "So, Tares, you had a bumpy past with the jedi as I did. So, how did you become a member of the council? We used to be stationed together, remember?"

Once everyone was inside, Tares served refreshments to everyone while considering DJK's question. Finally sitting down, he smiled to the Knight, "I do remember being stationed together. I also remember my 'bumpy' past wasn't as bumpy as yours. I became a member of the Council by following the Code, no other special tricks but going with the flow. I understand that you recently came back to the order for a meeting with the council, I regret that matters didn't free up for us to visit sooner...."

Skye stood beside her brother listening to both Master's Kenobi and Tares and then as her brother answered Ben'a. "I... cannot speak for my sister, but if it were totally up to me, I would train under you, but stay near her. I do not wish to leave her any time soon, as we have only just met..." After saying this, Nahstaa realised he was still in his sith clothing. "Ahh, Could i possibly get some different clothes, and maybe a fire??? These clothes aren't the... nicest of things to wear..."

Ben'a answered her brother, "Master Tares should have something for you, Nahstaa. Ask him, and he'll direct you, I'm sure. As for that fire, that shouldn't be a problem. Oh, and we'll be staying on Naboo for as long as I can foresee, so there's no need to worry about having to depart. Once you're ready, go and get acquainted with Skye."  
  
Ben'a turned to Tares and Dhan-Jaroe, his face set. He had done a lot of studying and soul-searching during his time with the Order, and there were several things on his mind that he desired to make known. If only to a few who would listen. Drawing up his courage, he spoke in frank terms, his voice and face a determined mask. However, he kept his feelings open to the two before him.  
  
"I'm sorry if this seems impetuous or headstrong, Masters, but I feel this must be said. The 'flow', as you define it, Master Tares, does not rest with those in the Council, but in the Force. Jedi should not strive for rank, for we were not meant to serve rank, but to serve the Force, and to carry out its will. I feel that to organize like we have, though it can serve a purpose, can be taken to an extreme that will draw us into the mundane. This is what undermined the Old Jedi Order, under the Old Republic  
  
"As it happens, I do believe that the Council is indeed mired in the mundane. When I waited outside of the Council chambers aboard the _Eternal Vigilance_ with Master Kenobi, I felt what went on there, though not the specifics. The Council is rife with indecision; it is not intended, I am sure, but the fact remains that it is there, and it is undermining what we are as an order. One of them in particular seemed to be downright lost, and another was more focused on their own agenda then what was best for the Order."  
  
Ben'a paused then, remembering the tumult that he had felt in the Force in the lead up to the battle at Hoth. It pained him to think about it...he had died there...  
  
"In the time before the battle at Hoth, I and several of the other Knights at the temple felt a dark disturbance. But none of the Masters were around to help us interporate those feelings, or to take steps to ensure we were prepared for what happened. We need to consolidate, we need to organize, but more importantly, we need to _focus_ on getting more in tune with the Force, and getting everyone trained to their maximum potential."

Through the force, Tares twisted the switch to the fireplace before the ground. With in a second a wide golden flame erupted out from behind the glass plate.  
  
With a smile, the Jedi began to think about extra clothing, "If I remember correctly, my brother's room still has some clothing left over. He never liked to wear new things, plus I think they should fit you. Let me go check."  
  
After a few minutes, Tares was back with a suitable attire, "I know the Sith never have been ones for comfort in their clothing. You can use these if you wish."  
  
Setting the cloths down on the table, Tares once again took a seat and picked up his drink.

"Thankyou" Nahstaa spoke the word simply, but the feeling he put into it showed he was not only thanking Tares for the clothes, but for understanding and for taking him into his home. Quietly he moved into another room, and got changed into a comfortable robe. It was well worn, and well maintained. Most importantly, it was warm and comfortable.

Tares gave careful consideration to the words Ben'a gave:  
  
"You bring up some wise points young one, some of which I agree with. However I can't totally agree with you since my long experience has taught me a few virtues that we do not share. I will agree that the current status of the order isn't a desired one, and that a few council members aren't the best suited for the order."

He drew a breath, "However, what you have observed today is a mark of progress from where the Jedi once were. By flow I merely mean the path each individual takes in life. This flow is in the Order as well. There are those in the order that would agree that I've been one of the voices against the path this order has gone down. Yet despite it all, I praise what I have each and every day. For you my dear young one have never experienced the destruction of all your friends, family, and an order you served for 200 years. A part of me has, and because of that I am thankful for any state the Jedi are in, as long as they are here."  
  
"Most of the council is partly responsible for the survival of the Jedi, of course along with the heroic efforts of all the Jedi. What you may see as indecision is merely debate. It is what happens when different ideas are brought. We wouldn't be a true council if this was otherwise. Good choices take time to make, no matter what the situation. Effective actions in situations which are dangerous are merely based on instinct. Instinct which is born from good choices. In simple terms, all that you have learned as a Jedi which enables you to fight in dangerous missions, and act with logic when there is little time to think has been born from good choices. Which was born from debate."  
  
"The Jedi at this point are organized. As a whole, we are strong and unified. We have problems yes, but nothing comparable to what I have witnessed. What the Jedi need to do is expand their presence into the galaxy and no longer fear creatures like the Sith...." 

Ben'a listened with an open mind to what Master Tares was saying. The elder Jedi was right, of course. Ben'a had not been with the Order that long, not nearly as long as Tares. And he had seen the fall; compared to that, the Hoth battle had been a minor skirmish...  
  
When he spoke, Ben'a's voice was calm and collected.  
  
"Forgive me my impatience, Master Tares. I understand what you mean. I suppose that, since I am still relatively new to the Order, I have not seen the truly dark times, and I am glad of that.  
  
"However, you say that instinct comes from good choices. But I don't quite see it that way. Good choices come from instinct, but not wholly so; instinct, combined with one's experiences, judgement, and skill, are what form our choices. It is only afterwards that we can see if those choices we made were good or bad. I made some bad choices on Hoth during the battle, but I feel that I am somewhat wiser for them..  
  
"I learned that, sometimes, one needs to stand and fight, whatever the odds."  
  
Ben'a sat at a table and took a long pull from his drink. It somehow felt good to be exchanging ideas with a Master such as Tares. He hoped that, someday, he would come to possess the wisdom to make a difference in the course of the universe. But he could wait; whatever would happen, whatever his destiny might be, would come of its own accord.  
  
"And I've learned something else today. Our choices are not always permanent; if one is strong enough, they can reverse a wrong turn down a path one determines to be incorrect."

"If staying with the order is following the code, then I have broken it. The order needs more jedi like Tinova and myself. You do nothing but sit around and re-locate every time you get attacked." Master Kenobi voiced his strongly worded opinion.

Ben'a's answer to Dhan-Jaroe Kenobi was short and to the point.  
  
"I asked you this once before -- what, exactly, do you mean by a 'Jedi more like you'?"  
  
Ben' paused for another moment before continuing.  
  
"Master Kenobi, for what its worth, I can understand the impatience that you have with some in the Order. But Tares is right -- we do ourselves a disservice with whatever battles of ego we engage in. And from what Tares said of the past, we're doing well right now. But I do think we can do better. If we put our heads together, and come up with some sort of plan of action, there should be no reason why we can't prompt an improvement of the Order overall.  
  
"And while I understand your feelings, I also feel that they can be a hindrance. Anger and frustration without purpose is of the dark side, so tell me...does your anger and frustration with the Order have a purpose?"

"The only reason the order is doing well is because the Hutts and the sith aren't attacking them."  
  
"The order needs jedi that are willing to attack its enemies instead of waiting for your extinction." Master Kenobi announced.

Somehow, what Dhan-Jaroe was proposing did not surprise Ben'a. From knowing him, this was almost expected...but there was one serious problem.  
  
"Master Kenobi, I do agree that we need to strike back at our enemies...but there is something that must be addressed beforehand. When I was on Manaan, I could sense a desire among some of the Jedi there to strike back at the Sith and the Empire. I myself felt a small desire for revenge upon the Hutts that betrayed us on Hoth. This leads me to the problems at hand: half of our number are either untrained, or unbound to masters and unable to engage in offensive action with their current levels of training. We must train them, but we must also be careful how we do so. Master Keiran showed me the skills of a Jedi, but he was not able to show me the true nature of the Dark side. If we are too hasty in training our hopefuls and apprentices in combat and other martial skills, we may lose some of them to the very forces we hope to destroy.  
  
"And there is another problem. If we go into this fight half-hearted; sending only the most powerful, we run the risk of dividing our numbers. If our powerful Masters are slain, the Sith can come for the rest of us, and they will destroy us with absurd ease. If we fight, it must be all or nothing. And from what I was able to sense on Manaan, there are some who may already be gearing up for the fight, though the rest of us are not ready."  
  
Ben'a looked over to where Skye and Nahstaa sat talking. He thought for a moment about what might happen if both fell to the dark side...the lure was powerful, even to people as committed to the light as the five in this villa:  
  
"My apprentice climbed from the depths of the Sith's clutches of his own free will...and I will not let him be dragged back down the dark path."

Tares nodded, "Ben'a once again presents a wise statement DJK, one in which I totally agree with. Above that, if I may present my personal opinion I have little faith in as you said, 'people like you'. I won't deny that the Order thus far has been on the defensive, but it isn't due to the fact that no one wishes to bring the war to the Sith. It's the sad reality, like Ben'a pointed out, that many of our numbers are poorly trained or aren't ready to face such dangers."  
  
The Jedi looked to his padawan for a moment, then took a sip of his drink, "Would you risk the lives of those who can't properly fight just to prove the point that the order needs people like you? If you don't know, I have no belief in light or dark, good or evil. To me everything just is, which means unlike some Jedi who believe the true way of the Jedi isn't to attack, isn't something I share. Yet I do believe everything has it's place in reality, and plain out attacking our enemy in our the order's state doesn't have its place. To have more people like you wouldn't do much more for the Order than what you feel is being done now, instead many more would die out of the lack of training. If you are to debate this matter, then lets get the facts straight:  
  
The Jedi aren't attacking the enemy not because the council likes to wait around. We aren't attacking because we aren't prepared to. The members of the order know very well what must be done, and which actions have their places along the path we take...."  
  
Moving back out into the main room, Nahstaa threw his old garments into the fire, and went to sit with his sister. Sitting close to her he asked,  
  
"I... I really would like to get to know you much better. Would you like to go for a walk, and we can have a chat as we walk?"

Skye sat down quietly sipping at her drink while the Masters discussed matters and her brother got changed out of the Sith clothing. She found it interesting listening to the discussion taking place about whether or not they were prepared to attack their enemies or not and found herself silently agreeing with her masters views on the matter, although Ben'a had brought up some good points also. She had found she recognized DJK from Hoth when she had gone looking for Darex. They had been about to take on another of the Sith, if she recalled correctly, that had also been when she had been otherwise occupied by another of that order- Neo - and it was also when she had first met Master Tares.

When Nahstaa came back into the room she watched as he took great satisfaction at watching them burn in the flames. She rose to her feet then, taking her glass over to the sink, cleaning and putting it away before returning over to where her brother was waiting. With a nod to the masters she headed outside with Nahstaa. Her curiosity about one matter foremost in her mind and knew it would be something that needed to be aired between them soon.

"I know this may be hard for you but... how did you become involved with the sith?"

Nahstaa took a deep breath, and started talking:  
  
"When I was very little, our father discovered I had the use of the force. He started to train me in it, not in the way of physical skills and such, but in simple things such as reading the emotions of others, and knowing what sort of person someone was. When my mother found out about this, she was happy, but she seemed to have some sense of foreboding, and told my father that she didn't want me learning now, that I should wait until another master could take me on."  
  
"He believed in me, as he always did, and kept on training me. Slowly but surely, my mother convinced herself that she had given birth to a monster, a sith... Eventually her mind cracked, and she tried to drown me, throwing me into the town's river. Some primal instinct in me used my skills in the force, and I managed to save myself..." As he spoke of the river, he could feel the same old dream creeping up on him, and he knew what was about to happen... he looked at his sister, sorry for what he was about to put her through, and collapsed, totally broken down, ragged sobs escaping him as he huddled into a ball, trying to escape the perils of his own mind...

Skye listened to her brothers tale with compassion. When he broke down she knelt beside him, her arms around him to comfort him. Through the tentative bond that was forming between them she sent loving, soothing thoughts full of support for him.

"It's alright, let it all go..."

She couldn't imagine what his mother had put him through, apart from not having her father with them, she had had a happy childhood. Sure she had gotten rebellious from time to time, but that soon passed and she had formed a respectful relationship with her mother after that. After his sobbing had resided she found herself telling her brother of her childhood, her mischievous escapades where she had gotten herself into a lot of trouble and found herself then asking what their father had been like.

As his sister held him, he found him self holding her as well, still shaking. The sound of her voice soothed him, and he slowly calmed down, Feeling the warmth of her love flow into him... That was all he wanted, to be warm again, to be totally free of the cold. That was what had made him turn. With the sith everything felt so cold, but he thought that if he fought harder, and became stronger he would feel satisfied... He had realised that that path led to total emptiness early enough to come to the light and be warm, and he was glad. He could still feel the cold at the edge of his consciousness, but it was bearable now, and he could control it, most of the time...  
  
Nahstaa let his thoughts flow through the bond between his sister and himself, not hearing her words, only the love they held... He showed her exactly why he had left the sith, he showed her his dream, and he showed her how much her love meant to him... For the first time since his mother had pushed him into that stream, he felt totally warm, safe in his sisters arms...

Taking in all the information her brother told her, she got up to her feet and gently pulled him up with her. Putting her arm around his waist she led him back to the villa and into where the others were still discussing plans.

"We'll have plenty of time to catch up I'm sure." She told him as they headed back. "But for now I feel we must return to the others. I haven't been in training long. I've not long become Master Tares' padawan."

As they walked back, Nahstaa kept his sister close.  
"Just do me one favour. Stay close. I don't want that to happen again."

Skye answered her brother with by squeezing her arm around him tighter, she would be there for him whenever he needed her. Both padawan's then rejoined their Masters. Skye moving over to Master Tares to see what they should be doing next, finding the heated debate was still going on.

"What about Hou-Jo? He's a mighty jedi on the council, I'm sure he could train another apprentice that'll turn to the darkside, just like Impede and Obi-Two." Master Kenobi stated.

Ben'a answered him calmly but with equal strength behind his words.

"I think all three of us know that Master Poleb isn't the best Jedi, Master Kenobi. However, who do you think you are to judge him like this? Who are any of us to say he's not the best? Do we judge a Jedi's worth by the apprentices they train? Do we judge them by their skills with the lightsaber, or the Force? And what of our judgements, once passed?  
  
"But you have a point -- particularly in relation to the incident on Hoth when Hou-Jo proclaimed himself a Master, and the leader of the Order. Though I am loathe to say it, I cannot help but see, and sense, some of his arrogance in you, Master Kenobi. And that, quite frankly, disturbs me." Ben'a turned to Tares once more before continuing.  
  
"Master Vortex, I do believe it is a good idea for us to spend time with our own apprentices. If you will excuse me..."  
  
Ben'a rose from his seat, and gave a short bow to Tares and Dhan-Jaroe, before taking his leave of the table. By this time, Skye and Nahstaa had returned, and Ben'a walked over to them, offering a warm smile.  
  
"It is time to train, Nahstaa," he said simply. "It is time to light that inner fire of yours; a fire of peace and justice...of the Force." 

"If I have any arrogance its because I used to be a bounty hunter. What is Poleb's excuse? He claims the rank of Master when he detested my rightful ascension to that rank." DJK announced.

Hearing DJK's last comment, Nahstaa truly felt the need to speak.  
  
"I truly know almost nothing of the jedi, but if you use your past as an excuse, how can you ever progress? You just keep on wishing you were better, and doing nothing about it, except for wishing for it... I apologise if I have overstepped myself, but if I want to go anywhere in life, I will never ever use my past as an excuse..."

DJK turned his attention towards Nahstaa, "I have more problems than you'll ever know. I've lost alot and I still try to do the best I can. When you've gone through something heart wrenching you can point out my errors. Well I suppose you are superior to me, being a member of the order and all. But I can use whatever I want for an excuse: especially for 'arrogance' as Ben'a put it. I have the arrogance of Hou-Jo's fingertip."

"I consider myself in no way superior to you, or anyone here. But i too have had great losses. I'm not here to fight, or to make a massive show of my past, i just want to learn. I just feel that no matter what happens, life MUST continue." Nahstaa responded.

Tares stepped in, "The fact is, we all have suffered someway or an other. We all have lost a part of what we are that made us human. In this way we are all connected."  
  
He turned to DJK, "Maybe Hou-Jo is a poor excuse for a Jedi. Or perhaps he is the greatest Jedi to ever live. Either way, who cares right now? This galaxy itself has so many more problems than ones like him. Going over and over about his faults won't save any more lives today as it has yesterday."  
  
He took a breath then continued, "You may feel like an outcast, or somehow betrayed by the Order that I proudly stand by and protect. But to let the divisions that merely appear in your mind divide you from people who aren't all that different than yourself..... well that's just sad. You know very well that it isn't the order itself that defines the individual. Perhaps instead of judging members of the Council, and very ethics and operations of the Order itself, you would try walking the path with us for once. If not, then I guess there are always other options. I know the Children of Silence are back up, maybe they could give you the action you seem to seek "

With a smile he looked to Skye, "I for one am ready to do some training as Ben'a here suggested. You are welcome to join us DJK in the hopes of exchanging some valuable knowledge...." 

"Nahstaa is right, Master Kenobi. We can all see this, so why can you not? However, like Master Vortex said, this is not the issue." Ben'a added. He turned about on his heel, then, and guided Nahstaa outside to the beautiful visage of the Naboo sunset.

Skye was more than ready to continue her training and looked to see what DJK would do... if he would join them or go his separate way, he did the latter.

"So what are we going to do now Master?" Skye asked respectfully.

Tares smiled to Skye, "I feel like some force defence is needed. I have the perfect mental game we can play in order to develop the skills you have requested. Meet me outside in the garden."  
  
With that Tares went to dress in some comfortable robes, then headed out to his personal garden. Large full grown trees surrounded the perimeter of the circular garden. From the trees, large fields of local flowers grew, creating an array of different spring colours. Finally in the centre was a traditional rock garden, freshly raked by Tares hours ago. The rock garden had two flat padded rocks in it, perfect for sitting down and just relaxing.  
  
Sitting down on one of the rocks, he calmed himself down and awaited for his apprentice....

Skye nodded to her master and headed outside to wait. She wandered around the gardens, taking in the scenery and inhaling the fragrances of the flowers. It was very peaceful and tranquil.

Noticing Master Tares come out she wandered over to where he was in the rock garden...

Tares smiled as he motioned for his padawan to take a seat, "I once learned of a technique that may help you in your desire to protect yourself from force attacks. The technique itself is easy to enter, however to control it is something different."

"Yes Master." She answered as she sat beside him where he had indicated.

He began to draw up the force around him, "In defence, there are virtually to ways to protect against an attack. You can go either directly against it, providing a counter-force to the attack, like you see in blocks in saber combat. However, a true master of defence evades the attack before it ever comes to you. This is what we will learn...." 

Skye sat by her master, listening carefully and taking all the information in. She definitely didn't want to be caught unaware by a force attack again and was ready to learn whatever techniques she could to counteract or evade them.

"I want you to attack me through the force. Mentally of course, but just invision the form of attack heading towards my presence in the force." Tares said, preparing himself....

Skye gave some thought to her Master's instructions and began to gather the Force to her. She had not given much thought to attacking with the Force mentally, having only wanted to know how to protect herself from the physical aspects but thinking about it now, she knew that to really understand how to defend, one must know how to attack with it in all manner of ways.

Slowly she envisioned a mental image of a needle and sent the tendril of thought towards her master. Maybe with something as fine as a needle she might be able to penetrate the defenses her Master would have put in place. She imaged the needle circling his aura ... looking for a weakness to where she might be able to insert it, watching the colours of his aura shift with an amazing clarity and then she found it... a very small opening ... slowly she inserted her needle...

The needle made it past Tares' "defences", and simply slipped through the empty force space that the Jedi once was located in.  
  
Physically, the jedi was still there, however through the force.... his presence was no longer as large as it once was, "You will have to try better than that...."

_"Hmmm well that did a lot of good didn't it – NOT!" _Skye thought to herself, "_What to try next though...I'm still trying to use my eyesight...I shouldn't, I should trust the Force more than I have been..."_

Skye closed her eyes and tapped further into the Force, _seeing_ her Master's presence firstly as a blur, then becoming more clearer as she concentrated further. She took note that he had 'shrunken' his force presence in comparison to his physical size... that was why her 'needle' hadn't been of any effect.

"_Cat and mouse Master..."_ Skye laughed to herself, a smile openly crossing her face. She then imaged herself as the cat, her master... the mouse and began to 'stalk her prey', moving the image to a position that she could 'pounce' from.

Unfortunately, the single mouse grew to an army of mice. Each one continued to grow smaller and to multiply.  
  
With in moments there were thousands of tiny mice, only one being Tares, "Now you have to find a needle in a hay stack...." his amused voice came into her mind.

Skye could hear her master's laughter in her ears as the mice multiplied infront of her. She 'swatted' at a couple of them with her 'paw' only to see them vanish and be replaced yet again by more.

'_Hmmm which one is he?'_

She was surrounded by mice and began to look carefully at each one. That proved no help as they were all identical in size, shape and colour.

'_Master created a bond between us, I wonder if I can use that to find him?'_

Carefully she concentrated, narrowing down the field of mice, concentrating on finding her master amongst them. She stretched out with the force, trying to locate which direction he was in, slowly she turned around 'testing' each of the mice in turn and narrowing them down to the right of her.

She felt the force directing her to three mice... slowly she observed the three, stretching her senses and concentrating on the bond Master Vortex had created between them. A slow smile crossed her features as she found him... the mouse on the left.

Thus the hunter became the hunted. The mouse on the left merely disappeared as the cat was drawn in by the false bond.  
  
In an instant, the true form of Tares, a microscopic organism now inside the cat, began its wrath. In a rumble of torment, the ending result was..... a stomach ache, "Poor kitty...." his voice again laughed in her mind.

"Oh Master!!"

Skye groaned as she curled up into a tiny ball of fur. She was trying, but she knew she hadn't a chance against her Master. She hadn't the experience to draw on like he did, plus it was his game after all.

She concentrated on removing the object of torment. She regurgitated a hairball – and the microscopic organism with it, then removed the image of the cat. Skye opened her eyes and looked up at her master.

Tares smiled as the "fun" ended, "Very good, you lasted longer than most that I have seen. Tell me, how is it that I attacked you when I was on the defensive?"

Skye gave it some thought... she really wasn't sure of how he did, she was hoping that he might elaborate on it though so she could know.

"Maybe because I was looking at the bigger picture and not looking for the finer details Master. I left myself open while trying to attack, instead of keeping myself on the defensive also." She answered him.

"Sometimes you need to see the bigger picture before you can focus and begin to look for the finer details. However in this case, you are right in saying that through your attack, you let your defences down. I call it offensive through defence. Let me show you."  
  
Standing up, Tares slowly moved into a defensive emotion, "Please attack me physically now, I'm sure you remember your martial arts training...."

Getting to her feet also, Skye took up a wary stance while she decided on how to attack her Master. She noticed that Nahstaa was now sitting next to her, not far from his own master who looked to be asleep. She had been so involved with her lesson with Master Tares she hadn't kept herself open to knowing who was around her. Another thing she would have to keep in mind for future reference. She gave her brother a quick smile before turning her full attention back to her Master.

She moved offensively against him, always keeping her senses open for any kind of attack against herself, having learnt from that mistake. She warily closed the gap moving to strike him whilst keeping herself centrally balanced.  
  
Before the move was completed, they are all startled by Ben'a as he yelled out "Arbra!" Skye stopped in her tracks turning to look at Ben'a, watching as he fainted and turned back to her Master who was looking at Ben'a also.  
  
"What just happened to him?"  
  
She quickly moved to his side to check his vital signs, noticing that he was physically alright, Nahstaa looking on very concerned. She looked up to Tares to see what they should do now. 

Two hours later, after getting Ben'a inside Tares' villa and into a bed, the remaining Jedi waited in the main living room. From the hallway walked in Ben'a, looking better.  
  
"You gave us a scare young one. Are you sure you should be up and about like this?" Tares asked....

"I am well enough, Master Tares, to tell you what you need to know." Ben'a's voice was completely serious; he was determined to tell Tares everything.  
  
"Arbra is a planet formerly used by the Rebellion, but the Sith have somehow found it. A Sith by the name of Ahriman has given me information of a vital sort -- the Dark Lord of the Sith is possessed by an ancient evil; and that evil has plans for a unique and powerful feature of Arbra. We must go there to disrupt and halt their plans...or the Galaxy is in grave danger. We must not be caught...but we must also not hold back. I strongly suggest we enlist the Rebellion to help us in this."  
  
Ben'a sat back onto the floor, waiting for Tares' answer.

Tares listened to Ben'a's words, then carefully weighed all the options, "I suggest we think about this carefully before we start taking action. In the past, a "unique and powerful feature" would have pulled in any power craving Sith around. Why would this "Ahriman" be any different?"

Ben'a mulled over Tares' questions. They were perfectly reasonable, of course...to not ask these questions would be foolhardy.  
  
"This Ahriman seems different, somehow; I sensed no deception on his part. Also, if he were in this for the power, he would not have provided me with everything there is to know about the planet, for the concern of the Jedi as well. The Hoojib there are in danger as well...and I believe they could be an ally, if we help them. I believe, though I'm not sure, that what possesses the Dark Lord is tied into the dark crystals under the surface."  
  
Ben'a paused for a moment before continuing.  
  
"I suppose I'm not making much sense, am I? Perhaps we should inform the Council of what we have learned...and the Rebels as well. Their fleet could be crucial if we choose to stop this threat..."

"One thing at a time, we first must inform the council. Once we decide which action to take, then we can notify the rebellion." Tares answered before he began to prepare for the trip back....

"Agreed, Master Tares. When shall we leave?"

Skye had sat quietly listening and observing Tares and Ben'a.  
  
She was concerned at how pale Ben'a still looked when he had reappeared and had been comforting her brother who looked just as worried as she.  
  
Listening to what was being said about the Sith and Arbra was very concerning indeed and she wondered what her Master would decide to do next. Hearing that they planned to return to speak with Council she caught her master's eye.  
  
Getting a signal from her Master, she headed down to her room, collecting and packing her possessions back into her bag and preparing to leave. She tidied up the room, getting it back into the same order as she had originally found it and went back to the living room to await further instructions.

After everyone was ready, the four jedi boarded their respective ships and headed off for the Jedi HQ.


	6. Chapter 06 Preparations

((I lay no claim to the Star Wars world, just an enjoyment in the worlds that George Lucus created. This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa within the RPG.))

**Chapter 06 Preparations**

Four Jedi in their respective ships wink into existence above the water world of Manaan, having made sure no trace of where they had left, nor of where they were going. They were back here on urgent business, and as Ben'a with Nahstaa, and Tares with Skye left their respective ships, they made their way quickly through the Eternal Vigilance to the Jedi Council chambers, sending a signal to all present to assemble.  
  
Skye followed her master off his ship and back into the Eternal Vigilance. It was good to be back there, although she had enjoyed her time on Naboo, training with her master. As they left the hanger she linked arms with her brother, who had arrived with Ben'a and they both followed their respective Masters towards the Council Chambers.

She could sense just how nervous he was and sent him her love and support through their bond. She gathered that it would be difficult for him at first to be around so many Jedi, having not long defected from the Sith and she wanted to make him feel welcomed and of how much she cared about him, also that she would be the protective big sister if need be.

As they continued on she found herself wondering how Darex was and stretched out with the Force to find him, locating him in the mess hall. A smile crossed her face and she sent him a message, hoping that he was not too busy to hear her...

_"I'm back Darex... I'll catch up with you soon... I have some news for you and someone that I want you to meet! We have to go to the Council Chambers now but I hope that we can catch up later...say hi to Ish for me..."_

Having arrived with Tares, Nahstaa and Skye at the Council chambers, Ben'a picked up the pad left by BC in his hasty retreat. Feeling somewhat consternated that the Jedi Master had taken his leave for no apparent reason, Ben'a tuned his comm-link appropriately to send an encrypted message to him.  
  
"Master BC, there are things that require your attention...and that of the Council as a whole. Where are you going?"  
  
Switching frequencies, Ben'a comm-ed the entire ship, making sure that everyone aboard the Eternal Vigilance would hear.  
  
"All members of the Jedi Council please come to the Chambers. There has been a disturbing development."

Ara sat up in her seat, still in the council chambers from a previous session. Her eyebrows arched.  
  
"Disturbing developments? Of what nature?" She asked.

Ben'a looked to see Ara-Lai Kaipi, one of the Masters on the Council already there in the Chambers. It was odd that he hadn't seen her there before, he estimated that it was probably due to his momentary anger at Master BC leaving so suddenly.  
  
"Forgive me, Ara, I did not see you," he said soberly. "There are dark things happening on the planet Arbra. The Dark Lord of the Sith, having been possessed, is looking to unleash a terrible darkness from before the Jedi and Sith came into being."  
  
He paused for a moment, in case other council members were coming as well.  
  
"Someone in the Sith contacted me while I was with Tares on Naboo, hoping to establish us as allies to stop the Dark Lord from unleashing this power. I did not sense any deception on the part of this being, but Master Tares thought it best -- and I do agree -- that we inform the Council first, before action is taken."

Tares stepped in, "Personally this doesn't sound too sith like, from what we have observed of them in the past. Yet the possibility remains that this Sith might be telling the truth. A decision must be made by the council as a whole, if we were all here that is...."

"From what I could tell about this being, he is not your run-of-the-mill Sith. Suffice it to say that the feeling I got from him could be roughly described as 'progressive'; like he wants to reform the Sith into something other then a world-conquering evilness. And if what he says is true, he has taken a risk by merely telling me about." Ben'a continued.  
  
Ben'a looked from Tares to Ara-Lai, trying to sort out what could be done to speed up the decision process.  
  
"I do not believe that the whole Order need go with us. The task we must do is thusly: we send a small force of Jedi to find the mines on Arbra where the crystals that the Sith are seeking are located. Once there, we place transmitters that will call down fire from Rebel star cruisers to collapse the mines. The native species, according to Ahriman's information, are being exploited to aide them, and they must be freed as well.  
  
Once the mines are destroyed, I am not sure what will come next. But I do have faith that I'll find out soon." Ben'a then had to repeat what he'd already said as Master Blckclone returned to the Council Chambers.

"Like I told Hale in the past I approve any mission in which we can set back the Sith. Everyday they are allowed to prosper freely is another bad day for the galaxy. We must slow their progress, we must keep them under control. However, we cannot destroy them, for without them there is no light."  
  
Master BC stroked his chin.  
  
"Bring me those who wish to go on this mission. I may accompany you."

"It would be an honour to have you with us, Master. If he is willing, I would like to bring Master Tares with us, along with his Padawan. Also, I have a feeling that Keiran might wish to come as well... I'll send him a comm once we're away. And if he's around, I would ask Tristin Stellar to come as well." Ben'a added.

Ben'a looked around to the assembled group. It was good to know that these Masters were willing to risk going with him on this mission -- his mission. His gaze finally fell onto Skye, and a warm smile spread his lips.  
  
"I feel we must leave with all possible speed, Skye. Time is of the essence, for the Sith may descend on Arbra in overwhelming numbers if we take too long in getting there. However, there is time to meet and give your compliments."  
  
He looked up to Master BC then  
  
"The Rebellion must be contacted at once -- their support is essential to this operation. We will need at least one capital ship to bomb and seal the mines. My Padawan, Nahstaa, has some information as well."

"I will be back momentarily, Masters...I promise you that. Nahstaa, please remain here, and relay that information you said you had."

Skye watched as Ben'a disappeared from the Council Chambers. She sat close to her brother, giving him support as she felt his nervousness. The Council members began to discuss some other matters and she softly whispered comforting words to her brother.

So lost in her thoughts she didn't realise at first that Ben'a had returned. When she looked up and saw his companion though she sucked in her breath, trembling slightly before she overcome her shock and slight fear. With him was the Sith who had attacked her on Hoth... the very one that her master had interrupted. Realising that her jaw had dropped open, she closed it, clinging slightly to her brother in an unconscious need for support.  
  
Then she got to thinking, if her brother could defect from the Sith, so could someone else. She could confront her fear and find it in her heart to forgive him... she had not suffered any lasting injuries from him on Hoth, so she could treat that as a learning experience and move on from it. Looking up at him again she caught his eye, giving him a silent signal that if he wished to, he could sit with her and her brother.

Ben'a closed the door, and began introducing those in attendance.  
  
"This is Nahstaa, my Padawan. Tares Vortex, a Jedi Master, and his Padawan, Skye. Master Blckclone here is the leader of the Order." Ben'a smiled at the assembled Jedi before continuing.  
  
"I apologize for my sudden disappearing act. This is Neo, formerly of the Sith Order. He tells me that he wishes to get away from the anger, violence, and darkness of their kind, and I believe him. He also tells me that he has information for you in regards to the Sith as a whole. However, I wish to let Nahstaa speak first."

Skye looked back to her brother who had stood up to speak, sending him all the love and support she could muster. She _knew_ how difficult this was for him, surrounded by people that were once his sworn enemies and she was very grateful that he had turned back to the light - and that they had found each other.

Standing up, Nahstaa felt a great nervousness. He had never been near this many jedi... after a moment, he cleared his throat, thought of his sister, and began...  
  
"My name is Nahstaa... up until recently, I served the sith, just as Neo did... We have never met, but I'm glad there are more like myself... I served as an apprentice to the sith master known as Tarrian Skywalker. She brought me to their planet, and I was an attendant as Abaddon gave his first speech as The Dark Lord of the Sith.  
  
Matters progressed slowly, until Bishop arrived. Bishop came, with another, who was known as the talker. I do not know the extent of this mans powers, as I only saw him once or twice briefly... anyway, when Bishop came, matters unfolded, and Bishop took over the throne of the dark lord, and Abaddon disappeared... Soon after this, my master took me to another planet, which I can only describe as evil... when we got here, she oversaw the construction of a training facility, a temple of sorts... this training facility was built by slaves... many slaves, all of whom were killed.  
  
These are the key events I can tell you of. I have no co-ordinates, but I hope what I have told you is of some help... I am totally happy to share this information in greater detail, but I feel there may be much more pressing matters at hand."  
  
Slowly, Nahstaa sat down next to his sister, and shuddered...

Skye put her arm around her brother to comfort him, thinking of what he had told them all. Her mind then started to wander and she wondered how Darex and Ish had been and what they had been up to during her absence. She also started to review all the training her Master had put her through in her mind, concentrating on the finer details that needed to be practiced and wondered when she would get the chance to. Soon she hoped. She wanted to be ready for whatever lay ahead of her.  
  
She looked back up at Neo who was looking uncomfortable and patted the floor beside her. If she could be accepting her brother who had defected the Sith, she could accept another as a friend if he wished to be. Leaving him to decide what he wanted to do she looked towards her Master, wondering what they were going to do next. She turned her attention back towards Neo then as he began to speak.

"Yes, I have heard of Nahstaa, but just briefly."  
  
He looked over to Skye, he could feel her reading over his body with the force.  
  
"They are getting many, many members inside the Sith Order. I am afraid that this will even be harder than the previous wars were."  
  
Neo nodded his head, it was going to be almost impossible to do this.  
  
"The Sith Academy is on Byss, and that's where they train and stay. Other than that, all I know of is Mimban, but that doesn't get much action anymore."  
  
He looked around to all the council members  
  
"I have only heard whispers of Arbra, other than that, all I know is that it is another planet in the universe."  
  
He slowly nodded and looked to the ground, indicating that he was done. He looked over to Skye and Tares, feeling the warm connection, both Neo had tried to kill. He walked closer to Skye, and whispered into her ear.  
  
"I am sorry for hurting you."  
  
He gave an honest nod to Tares, and walked back to his spot

Skye watched as Neo moved closer to her after speaking with the Council Members. Taking a deep breath she faced her once enemy and relaxed, listening as he whispered into her ear. Hearing Neo apologise for hurting her on Hoth she stretched out with the Force to ensure that he meant what he said, finding no hint of deception. She found herself smiling at him and let him know that she was willing to be his friend. Skye turned back to her Master as he spoke.

"I am willing to join in on this mission. My services are yours. As for my padawan, I feel this only a decision she can make if she wishes to attend." Tares said, looking back to Skye....

Skye looked up at her Master. She felt that she would like to be a part of stopping the Sith. She had learnt a lot in the time since the Battle at Hoth and felt ready to do whatever was required of her.

"I would certainly like to do whatever I can Master. When do we leave?"

Then quietly for her Master's ears only "Will I have some time to catch up briefly with some friends before we go?"

Tares returned the nod, "Well if everything is in order, I suggest we prepare." He turned to Skye.  
  
"I will be in my quarters getting ready. Prepare your things and don't forget to say hi to your friends."  
  
With that he made his way out of the chambers....

She followed her Master out of the Council Chambers and then headed in the direction she felt Darex and Ish to be... the mess hall, her bag with all of her possessions within, was still in her Master's ship and she had nothing else in her room on the Eternal Vigilance so she thought she'd see her friends for a while before finding her Master again. Wandering in, she quickly grabbed a bite to eat and headed over to their table, saying hello to the others at the table before focusing on her two friends. Putting her tray down she threw an arm around each of them, giving both a quick hug.

"Hi Guys... did you miss me?"

Skye gave a little laugh and squeezed in between the two of them on the bench seat. "I've only got a short while to catch up before I'm off again but I wanted to see you both before I left. I've got some terrific news!!"

She grabbed a bite to eat while bubbling with the suppressed excitement her news brought her. She wasn't sure where Nahstaa was and stretched out to find him. He seemed busy so she just sent him a supportive feeling through the force, letting him know where she was if he had the time to try and find her. Finishing her mouthful she turned again to her friends.

"I found my brother!! I didn't even know I had one until we got to Naboo... I have a half brother... isn't that so great!!"

She found herself a little unwilling to tell them straight out that he was an ex-sith, instead deciding to bide her time until they had caught up properly first. She looked from one to the other to see how they would take her news.

Ish was elated to see Skye back though he sensed a small amount of hesitation within her. "Well isn't that convenient going out, and finding your half brother. It's fun when that happens isn't it?" said Ish with a sarcastic voice. "Small world eh?" he chuckled.

"Sarcasm doesn't become you Ish..."  
  
Skye answered him as she gave him a small belt in the shoulder that certainly wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last. Ish hunkered away snickering. He smiled over at Skye and then took a sip of his fourth or fifth juri juice as he had lost count.

Darex was listening to the conversation around him when suddenly he felt someone grab him from behind. _"Hi guys. Did you miss me?"_ came a voice.  
  
"Skye!" Darex whirled around and gave her a hug. He listened to her gush about discovering her half brother and chuckled. "That's wonderful news. But calm down a little before you have a heart attack!"  
  
Ish spoke up. "So how has your training been going?...I can sense that you are much stronger than you used to be."  
  
Darex turned, interested to hear the story as well. "Yeah, you're the only one of our little group that has taken steps toward knighthood. What's it like?" He couldn't resist throwing a pretend microphone in her face and turning to Ish. "Get your datapad ready! This will make the headline of the nightly holo-news!"

Ish gave a snicker at Darex's' interviewing of Skye. She glanced back at him which was enough to make him quite before he received another shot to the shoulder. He and Darex seemed like partners in crime; annoying Skye like they were. It was truly good to see her back, if ever for such a short time.

Skye laughed again at Darex's 'invisible' microphone... brushing it away.

"You guys ..."

Turning back to Ish she gave him a look that quelled his next comments. She was abit concerned at how sarcastic he was getting. As she gave thought about how to answer Ish's question she looked at her friends other companions. Not wanting to exclude them she gave them all a wide smile, catching sight of another as well.

"I'm Armiena Draygo, and very new here." The newcomer said.

"Pleased to meet you Armiena, I'm Skye Organa..."

She included the other new faces as she stated her name, noticing how uncomfortable the Caamasi was looking and sending soothing thoughts his way. She looked closer at him as he got up and hurriedly left. He was looking rather ill.

She held her hand up to still comments from her companions momentarily and closed her eyes, using some of her new training in healing she concentrated on the Caamasi, following him with the force to his quarters and sending healing thoughts his way to reduce the urge to throw up. She reduced the discomfort in his stomach, easing the need to heave and gently soothed the rawness of his throat where the acids had reacted. With an invisible hand she smoothed his brow, encouraging him to go and rest.

Opening her eyes again she turned back to her companions.

"I may have begun my training but it is more like crawling than walking. It's progressing well though. There is a lot to learn. I'm sorry that I won't have much time with you guys... as I said before, I'm heading off again soon... I can't say much about it, but I'll be accompanying my Master on a mission, along with some others. My brother and his Master, Ben'a will be going also. Speaking of my Master, I have to go find him now..."

She gave both Darex and Ish another hug before standing up to leave, telling them that she hoped they both got masters of their own soon and waving to the others at the table. Just before she headed off she asked them to check on the Caamasi for her, to make sure that he is alright. Turning again she silently made her way through the Eternal Vigilance to her Masters Chambers, waiting at the door for him to acknowledge her presence.

After getting his things prepared, Tares made his way out of the door where he saw Skye. With a smile, he motioned for her to join him as he make his way to the Rector where we awaited for the others. In his mind, he knew the path ahead would be a difficult one. Yet he also knew this mission would bring alot of hope to those who needed it.  
  
Warming up the ship, he looked to his padawan, "Do you feel ready for this mission?"

Skye returned her Master's gaze and thought about his question. Was she ready? It was a good question... she thought she was but until the mission truly got underway she wouldn't know for certain. Whatever happened she was going to do her best. She'd used the skills she had been taught and try and keep herself out of trouble.

"I think I am Master. I've learnt a lot since Hoth and don't intend to make any of the same mistakes again. You've taught me so much, I only hope that I don't disappoint you." She pauses for a moment. "Is there anything else I should know to prepare myself?"

Tares shook his head, "For this mission, the knowledge you have learned will serve you well. I feel like there isn't much more I can teach at this level that may be helpful to you."  
  
"Is there anything you wish to learn?"

Skye fingered the lightsaber hanging from her belt. It was a borrowed one, the one that Orrick had given her back on Hoth and while she had practiced with it, she didn't feel a connection to it that she felt she should. She knew she needed more practice with it although that would come with time, but that wasn't what she wanted to ask about. Looking back up at Master Tares she answered him.  
  
"I would like to know how to make my own lightsaber Master..."

With a smile Tares said, "I hoped you might say that. The art of creating a lightsaber is a skill that tends to be passed on from generation to generation of jedi. The key components of a lightsaber requires three major things, the hilt case, the inner workings, and a gem. Everything which we have onboard."  
  
Moving to the other side of the room, Tares activated a computer interface. On the screen appeared a program, "You will need to find all the different inner components in the supply bay located on deck 2. Before this though, you may design the layout of your hilt. This program will let you design how the hilt will look, creating a personal touch to it. Once you are done, the ship will forge the hilt while you look for the components. Any questions?"

Skye followed her Master over to the computer, giving thought in regard to questions for him about the construction of her saber. None come straight to mind but she did get a vision of how she would like the hilt to look. Glancing at her Master first Skye gave him a quick smile before putting her ideas into the program, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she entered her requests.

Firstly she wanted it to look very streamline, having small hands she wanted something that she could hold comfortably, something that would fit perfectly in her clenched hand. The lightsaber she had been using was too wide for her palm and she often felt as if she would lose her grip on it.

She designed the hilt wide at the top with a slight narrowing down to the base, with a handgrip made for added comfort. It would be silver in colour with black markings along the side. She added that she wanted the symbols for the runes of protection, defense and strength along the top of it, level with the activation plate.

She looked back up at her Master, getting the nod to go for the other components. Letting the ship begin the construction for the hilt she used this as an opportunity to exercise as well, breaking into a sprint on her way down to the supply bay on deck two. Arriving there only slightly out of breathe, she took a moment to refocus before being her search.

She wanted this saber to be like an extension of herself so wanted a connection to every part of it. She stretched out with the Force to locate the first of the inner workings of her saber. She was drawn in the direction of a large cylindrical container along the far wall. Jogging over to it she let the force surround her as she opened the container. Inside she found various **power cells**, letting the force guide her to the right one.

Carefully she placed it in the bag she had brought with her and stretched out with the force again, this time being drawn over to the right corner of the storage bay. It was not a container that drew her but an item on it's own, lying on the floor... a **belt ring**. This too was added to the bag and she concentrated through the force for her next item, being drawn to a medium sized crate.

The only problem with this crate was that it was stacked up high on several others. Not seeing an easy way up to it she took a run up, using the force to jump three parts of the way up the stack, making herself lighter and climbing up until she reached the top crate.

Skye balanced herself carefully while she removed the lid, again using the force to locate the right **power conduit** for her lightsaber. Replacing the lid she sent another force feeler out to locate her next item... it also was up high on another stack of crates but instead of jumping to the floor she looked up to the rafters. She leapt up, catching hold of one of the beams and swung herself up to a sitting position on top of it.

Getting to her feet she carefully balanced her way across the beam to the next stack, lightly dropping down onto the center of stack. In this create she found her **emitter matrix**, she carefully placed it with her other items and looked around again. Stretching out she sensed where her next item lay.

Dropping lightly down to a lower stack Skye paused, being drawn in two directions. She decided on the stronger pull first, turning to her left. Right beside her was a small brown box. Opening it she found several assorted switches. Concentrating further she lets the force guide her to the **safety switch.** Smiling she turned to the other box that drew her, finding both the **blade-length adjuster **and the **recharge socket **within.

Now all she needed was her crystal. Stretching out she found that what she wanted was not near, not in the storage bay. Dropping quietly and lightly to the floor, Skye headed in the direction of an inner beacon, finding that she was retracing her previous steps and found herself back in the computer room with her Master.

As Skye returned, Tares smiled at the sight of the components she had collected. Waiting in his hand was her brand new hilt, simply an empty shell. He sat the hilt on the table then made his way over to a wall.  
  
From a hidden panel slid out several different gems of different colours and properties, "You now must select your gem. From there we will begin construction."  
  
Once she had selected, he began to guide her through the process of building the saber....

Skye's eyes lit up at the sight of the lightsaber hilt. She slipped the bag of components carefully onto the work bench and picked it up, turning it over in her hands, examining it carefully. Reluctantly she placed it onto the bench top next to the bag and turned to her Master.

She felt an almost overwhelming sensation, drawing her to the hidden panel her master had opened. Looking inside at the crystals within she drew a sharp gasp.

"You now must select your gem. From there we will begin construction."

There could only be one that she could ever consider choosing as she looked upon them. The strong urge to reach out caused her to do just that, her hand guided to a crystal the exact same shade of amethyst as her pendant. Picking it up she felt a warm sensation flow through her, as if the pairing was meant to be. A wide smile crossed her face as she turned back to her Master.

"This is the one Master Tares. I don't think there could be any other."

She moved back to the work bench and carefully laid out all the parts for her lightsaber. Focusing through the Force, letting it guide her with the delicate constuction, she started with the switches, inserting the safety switch and the blade-length adjuster into the activation plate and carefully locking them into place, the belt ring was quickly attached on the end of the hilt.

She carefully picked up the emitter matrix and placed it within the hilt. The power conduit and power cells went in next, followed by the recharge socket. Lastly she picked up her crystal, holding it up to the light first and letting it's warmth again flow through her.

The amethyst crystal seemed to pulse in her hands and she felt the crystal at her neck growing warm also, as if the two were communicating with each other. She felt envoloped in the warm glow and felt as if this was very right. Carefully she inserted her crystal into the hilt, making sure it fitted snuggly and carefully locking it in place. Closing the hilt up she then turned back to her Master.

"Now I guess the final test..." she softly murmered to herself.

Facing the blade in a safe direction, she lightly pressed the activation switch. With a soft hiss, the blade hummed to life. A beautiful deep amethyst coloured blade pulsing with life. She closed the blade down reluctantly and handed it over to her Master.

With her new lightsaber in hand, Tares gracefully observed the saber with detail. All the components were in place, the gem well fixed to the hilt. Everything was in order.  
  
Slightly uncomfortable to handle for himself, he smiled at the praise he held for his padawan. She knew what she wanted in a saber. Shutting the saber off, he handed it back to Skye, "One of the finest sabers I have ever seen...."

"Thankyou Master" Skye softly replied, returning his smile as she fixed her saber onto her belt, feeling it belonged there. Removing the loaned saber she handed it back to her Master. "Someone else should use this one now..." Her voice trailed off. Looking at her Master she asked, "What's next?"

"Now we wait for the others."  
  
Placing the lightsaber down onto the table, he smiled to Skye. They headed back to the Rector. From there, they waited....

Skye waited beside her Master, watching as Ben'a and Nahstaa arrived. She silently moved over to her brother, giving him a quick hug before moving back to her Master's side. With her brother at her side she took comfort from his presence, but wanted to further her knowledge.

"Master... have you any more holodisc's that I could study on healing aboard the Rector? I suddenly have a bad feeling about all this and I want to be as prepared as I possibly can"

She looked up at her Master waiting for his answer.

Looking to BC as he approached, Tares nodded, "Everything is ready. The ship has been set to pass for a supply frigate, and everyone is getting on board as we speak. We have left enough knights to stay behind I believe."  
  
As he finished, the question from Skye took his mind. Turning to face her, he smiled at the thought that even in facing danger, she still wanted to learn. "I downloaded the medical database of the Vigilance in the Rector. All those files will be free for your use...."

Skye smiled back at her Master when she heard about the downloaded files. Giving him a nod she turned, heading into the Rector and to the terminal where she can access the files. She quickly logged in and accessed the relevant files, immersing herself with her studies. She wanted to be prepared for whatever was up ahead of them. Skye still couldn't shake the feeling that they might be heading into a trap.

Taking a break from her studies, Skye decided to freshen up. Her bag was next to her bunk and she made her way over to it, searching though it and pulling out her change of clothes – her black shipsuit. Showering and changing into it, she cleaned her other clothing and placed it into her bag. Heading back into the common area of the ship she set about preparing a meal for all that are accompanying them on the mission.

Onboard Tares began to warm up the engines in preparation for the long flight ahead. All the main systems registered readiness. From this point on, there wouldn't be any turning back.  
  
Waiting for the last of the group the get aboard, the Rector began to come to life....

As the smells from Skye's cooking wafted through the Rector, Ben'a realised just how hungry he was. Eventually, the food was served, and the Jedi Knight sat down to savour the fruits of the Padawan's labours; the meal was excellent. With his stomach thus filled, Ben'a rose from his place at the small dining table, and ambled over to give Skye a gentle peck on the cheek in thanks.  
  
"That was an excellent meal, my friend."  
  
As Tares warmed up the engines in preparation to leave, Ben'a begun to sense something odd. A realisation of sorts, was the only way he could describe it. Thinking quickly to himself, he walked up to the Jedi Master, and whispered to him so that only he will hear.  
  
"I'll be back on the ship momentarily, don't take off without me..."

Skye had moved back into the galley, tiding up after having finished her meal and to allow for more room at the table for the others to have theirs. She glanced back at the table as Ben'a rose, bringing his dishes over to her, placing them down on the bench top beside her. She gave him a shy smile before reaching for the dishes. Noticing that he hadn't left her to it, she picked up a drying cloth to hand to him when he surprised her, catching her off guard as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

_"That was an excellent meal, my friend."_

She felt herself blushing, her eyes following him as he turned and walked over to where Master Tares was and then left the ship. Her hand unconsciously went to her face, her fingers brushing lightly over her cheek he had kissed. Now she felt confused. She didn't know what to make of his actions, if anything.

Sighing, Skye finished up the dishes and moved over to where her brother was sitting, sliding onto the lounge chair beside him. Her thoughts roamed back over the last couple of months as she tried to make some sense out of her emotions. She hadn't really gotten 'close' to anyone in that time, although Darex had shown interest. There hadn't been much time for a relationship to develop though, what with all the happenings on Hoth and then her training firstly on the EV and then at Naboo. She'd only seen him twice since they'd been at Manaan and now she felt that he and Ish had left for the new Jedi Dojo on Borealis. Who knew when they would meet up again.

Master Blckclone's message came across to all of the Jedi involved with the mission then...  
  
"We leave tonight, everyone prepare yourselves accordingly!"  
  
His message sent, Ben'a made his way back to the Rector, and once again sat with Skye and Nahstaa, his Padawan. Mentally, he began to prepare himself for what lay ahead; there was little more he could to physically, at this point. Trusting that he would be awakened if he were needed, he began to meditate, advising his Padawan to do the same.

Skye was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice until he'd sat down with them that Ben'a had returned. She felt herself blush again and silently started to recite the jedi code to control her confused emotions.

Gently, Nahstaa put his arm around his sis, feeling her confusion through their bond... he sent her love, and warmth, and everything he could think of that would make her feel better... he sent her a force message, carefully masked from everyone else, and sent down their bond...  
  
"Do you want to talk about anything sis, you seem in turmoil..."

Skye looked at her brother, shaking her head ever so slightly as she felt his support. She took firm control of her feelings then, determined that nothing would distract her from this upcoming mission. She was nervous enough about that without worrying about something else that may or may not have any relevance. She'd take it one day at a time and see where it led her. Glancing out of the corner of her eye she decided that she'd just been imagining things after all.

She'd just relaxed again, closing her eyes and focusing inwards when she heard Ben'a moving. Opening her eyes she noticed him head towards the cockpit, along with her Master and heard his message about getting underway. She prepared herself for the take off. Once they were above the planet, she decided that she would head to her bunk and get at least some rest – she had a feeling she was going to need it.


	7. Chapter 07 A Mission and Knight's Trial'...

((I lay no claim to the Star Wars world, just an enjoyment in the worlds that George Lucus created. This story follows the adventures of Skye Organa within the RPG.))   
Chapter 07 The Mission 

From high above orbit around the once peaceful planet of Arbra, a star ship exits hyperspace. The ship itself was aged, showing its years through carbon scoring, scratches, and other hull deformities.  
  
From the ship, supply codes began to be sent. Although the contents were unknown, something dangerous was held with in the ship....

Malvagio – the Talker - noted the approaching ship and the codes issued by it. '_Another supply ship...'_ After retracing the transmission, and sending out a different comm concerning other affairs, he replied to the message.  
  
To the incoming Supply Vessel:  
  
_"I was unaware that the Imperials had any more mining equipment to deliver to us. Will you confirm this?"_

Ben'a nodded curtly to Tares. The elder man returned to his controls, allowing him to take over the comms array. Tapping out a higher-level authentication code, he sent another message, text only.  
  
"Captain Phillip of the Galactic Empire sends his regards. Rumours of sabotage have been received, he assigned us here as bomb-techs just in case. Don't worry, we know where to go."  
  
Cutting off the transmission, Ben'a once again nodded to Tares, motioning for him to take the ship down. On the monitors, he indicated a suitable landing spot just off of a secondary entrance, partially obscured by rubble and tailings from digging the mine.

Feeling some slight turbulence, Nahstaa went and looked out of a port hole... they were slowly coming down... without any further ado, he moved quickly to where his sister was sleeping... quietly, he bent over her, and kissed her forehead, shaking her gently...  
  
"We're almost there sis, rise and shine."

Skye woke up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Sitting up she gave her brother a quick hug before swinging her legs around and standing up. She made her way to the refresher to freshen up before making her way into the galley, quickly making enough caffa for everyone. She would get her Master his cup once they were on the ground.

Along with Nahstaa, she moved to the view port and looked out at the planet below, quickly taking in some of the details of the terrain below. Moving back to her seat, she strapped in ready for landing. Her sleep had been restful and she now felt able to face whatever lie ahead of them. She knew they were in for a difficult time but would face it along with her brother and their masters.

---To the incoming Supply Vessel:  
  
_"Very well, you have permission to land."_  
  
--- End comm.

As the three Jedi ships touched down on the planet, Tares and Ben'a worked quickly to put the Rector into powered standby; if anything went wrong, the ship would be able to lift off immediately upon sealing the hull. Extracting himself from his seat in the cockpit, Jedi Knight Ben'a Solo made his way back into the main passenger compartment. Several of the Jedi on board were gathered there, and he spoke to them, his words also carrying through the Force to the other Jedi who had landed in separate ships. He was, however, careful to keep his thoughts unknown to any other force-adepts that might be nearby on Arbra.  
  
"Everyone, it is time to do what we came here for. Follow me into the caves, and be sure to stick together."  
  
His thoughts well-formed, and his feelings firmly where they belonged, Ben'a opened the door. Just before he stepped out of the ship, however, Ayevit trundled up and began to beep and whistle. Ben'a smiled at the mechanical, indicating for him to come as well. Stepping resolutely down the loading ramp and onto the surface, he looked about him, and took in his surroundings. Several meters away, his former master Keiran, and Master Gantoris, leader of the Order, were emerging from their own smaller craft. But before he lead the group into the cave, Ben'a hesitated, he could feel a flicker of darkness deep within the mine. He held up a halting hand.  
  
"The Dark Lord is in there, we must wait..."  
  
Doing his best to keep his awareness, Ben'a lessened his connection to the Force as best he could; if any Sith were nearby, it would be that much harder for them to feel the Jedi here.

Keiran pressed a button on the sith infiltrator and allowed the ramp to extend. The dark ship blended in with the surrounding forest and when the ramp emerged it appeared as a light popped out of nowhere as the ship's interior lighting showed. Keiran walked down the ramp gracefully, wearing his signature red robe, he looked around and saw the Rector with all it's passenger's disembarked. As Ben'a spoke Keiran smiled.  
_  
__"From my padawan to a leader of a mission... he's truly progressed" __  
_  
Keiran simply kept quiet and listened as he looked around at the forest around him, keeping his hand on his lightsaber, ready to use it at a moment's notice.

Skye followed the other Jedi off the ship, staying close to her Master. She looked around the area warily, taking in the details that she missed from looking out the view port. Glancing at her brother she gave him a quick smile before looking back to Ben'a and Master Tares for instructions.

Quietly, Nahstaa moved with his sister, staying close... he didn't hold his lightsaber, he held his sisters hand, squeezing it gently... He had almost completely separated himself from the force, but left a tiny connection, allowing himself access to the force should he need it...   
  
No matter what happened, he would be strong for his sister... he feared the worse, and felt the worst would be a pleasant dream, should he fall captive to the sith... he got the feeling his old master would be very happy to see him again... the torrent of freezing cold water was flushing through his mind again, but this time he faced it, let it pass through him, and became strong where it had passed... he no longer was afraid, what would be, would be...

Tares joined the rest of his kind outside the ship. He knew the time to strike wasn't right just yet. First, a couple more pieces of the puzzle had to fall in place....

Through her brother holding her hand and the sibling's bond, it was easier to follow what Nahstaa did when he reduced his connection to the force. She followed suit as not to be a 'beacon' to the enemy.

Skye stepped closer to her Master as her eyes caught sight of the broken bodies piled up along side the rubble from the mine's secondary entrance. She assumed that they were natives of the planet that the Sith had run into the ground in exhaustion or killed for the sake of killing them. It saddened her and her compassion went out to the native people of this planet. She felt very controlled, refusing to give in to anger or the want for revenge over this, but at the same time she wanted the Sith to pay for what they had done. They were here to right a wrong.

"Even though I still have doubts about this mission Master, I feel strongly that we should help free the natives of this planet. The Sith need to pay for what they have done..."

Ben'a spoke once again to the gathered Jedi, keeping his voice low, but loud enough for all gathered to hear.  
  
"We've got to take the mining explosives from this crate and place them at certain points. Ayevit will point them out to you. Once the charges are set, we're going to have to book it back to the ship..."   
  
Grabbing two bundles of charges, Ben'a moved to another part of the tunnel, placing one of the packs and setting the detonator. Once everything was set, Ayevit would set everything off...

Skye, along with the other members of their team, Nom Anor's Avenger, Ryoo Jaxxon, Nahstaa, Keiran Valoria and Masters Tares and Blckclone laid their charges where Ayevit indicated.

"This is it, my friends...." Ben'a said quietly, so that the others could hear, "The charges are set, let's move to the second shaft..."  
  
Again, with Ayevit and the other Jedi close behind him, Ben'a led the group down and into the second mineshaft amidst a stream of native creatures making for the exits. It was another half-hour trek through the caverns before the group arrived at the new area.  
  
"Brace yourselves!" he hissed.  
  
Knowing that the others knew what to do, Ben'a signalled to Ayevit.  
  
"Let'er rip!"

The sound of the explosion shook the ground around them as well, showering them all with dust, dirt and debris. Skye took cover and braced herself in a reasonably sheltered location with her brother until the explosions had subsided, then got up from her crouched position and shook off the dust and debris that had covered her. She had a few minor cuts but nothing serious. Briefly concentrating, she healed the cuts and looked around the group to see if anyone else required healing. Noticing Keiran getting out the gauze she moved quickly over to him to check on his wound.

"I know you said you're good to go but let me check it over first"

Giving him a smile she removed his field dressing and rechecked the wound, removing the debris that he had missed and concentrating on closing the wounds. By the time she had finished, there were no signs of the original damage. Quickly she moved around the rest of the team to make sure everyone is ok before awaiting further instructions.

Keiran nodded as Skye walked over to check the rest of the team  
  
"Thank You"  
  
Keiran then picked up his rifle and gripped it in his left hand, he then reached down and grabbed his lightsaber in his right hand and held it as well.  
  
"The sith are sure to have heard the blast, better get ready for a fight here people"  
  
Keiran kept his eyes open and guard up as he prepared himself.

Tares shook his head, "It's not time to fight yet. We still must make it to the secondary tunnel."  
  
With that the group moved on to the secondary tunnel....

Skye followed closely behind Master Vortex, her hand hovering over her lightsaber hilt. In the back of her mind something didn't feel quite right and her bad feeling returned... she really couldn't help feeling that they were heading into a trap. Tapping into the Force lightly she scanned the area looking for possible hazards as she headed deeper into the tunnel with her Master and the other members of their team.

An apparition of Ahriman appeared infront of the jedi, emanating rays of multicoloured lights.  
  
'_Sleep._' He commanded...  
  
The sound of hissing of gas filled the shaft, and the Jedi collapse into darkness. Their unconscious bodies were gathered and restrained, using special manacles designed by Ahriman. The Jedi were then loaded on Ahriman's ship for transport to the ceremonial grounds on Mimban, along with the material that needed crafting.

With his companions now outfitted as they once were, Ahriman gathered them to go to the ceremonial grounds. Ahriman himself was in his full ceremonial armor, carrying his new glaive as a symbol of the advancements he had made in the alchemical arts. A silver orb adorned his belt, it would enhance his powers during the ceremony, for silver was the metal most attuned to him.  
  
The Jedi trailed behind him, floating limply in the air through his will, still manacled by Ahriman's strange devices.

The Sorcerer stepped towards Malvagio and levitated an amulet to him, "This amulet will aid you in the ceremony, if you wish to use it."

Slowly the Jedi came to, one by one... Skye felt strange, she felt like she was floating... dreaming... but having trouble waking up. She remembered being in the second mine shaft and seeing an apparition appear before them... telling them to sleep... _that's right, we were gassed!_ She struggled to regain consciousness but felt she should be wary... she focused inwards, trying to rid herself of the toxins within the gas, she wanted to be alert. Stretching out carefully through her bonds she felt the presence of her Master and her brother close by and assumed the other Jedi were there also, amidst the dark ones.

Keiran fluttered his eyes half open, however they felt too heavy to open entirely..._  
  
__"Gotta keep strong..." __  
_  
Keiran closed his eyes again and tried to recover himself from the gas attack suffered on Arbra.

As the amulet passed over to Malvagio, no gesture was issued in return to Ahriman. It was not a sign of disrespect, but the two had no purpose for such a gesture.  
  
Malvagio's eyes observed those around him. The Jedi came to the ground, awakening but still very confused as to where they were. It must have been something like a horrible nightmare to them, one that would only get worse. With the amulet clenched in his left hand, and the board in the other, Malvagio began to speak.  
  
"The Dark Lord and I have been met with some trouble since our undertaking. Ironically, this trouble has come only from the hands of Sith. We do not blame you, but now is the time to explain what it is that is transpiring."  
  
He bent down and set the amulet upon the ground directly before him. Though the wind was brushing roughly across the ground, it shifted not. Nor did any of the other artefacts forged by Ahriman. The prime material used was that derived from the mines of Arbra, radiating now with an unmistakable dark side aura. Though the artefacts seemed of the most random form, somehow they all appeared balanced together in their placements along the edges of the ancient shrine.  
  
"Many things I cannot explain to you where explanation is due. Suffice to say, let there be no more distain about me being a non-force user, for I once was. The ability was sacrificed, along with many other things a man would pride, to formulate this."  
  
His other land lifted, revealing the curious board he carried always beside him. The glow of flame danced lightly upon it, mixing tones of deep red with black. It appeared more detailed than it actually was.   
  
"This is what led me to the Bishop, and what led Bishop to become the Dark Lord of the Sith. It is a tool for tapping the foundries of reality, and deciphering the patterns of fate and time. He has foreseen many ill things, which we have come to rectify."  
  
Malvagio looked dully about, meeting both the eyes of Sith and Jedi alike. The Dark Lord stood beside him, gazing into nothing with his blind eyes.   
  
"Finally, something else must be addressed, however the one person who needs to hear it the most is in the control tower. It has been said I am the Talker for the Bishop. It has not been clarified that we share a bond, and that he himself must remain distant to reality in order to maintain his link with the instrument. This is a difficult endeavour, one only he could attain. This leaves the Bishop with a tremendous burden on his concentration. I, knowing his will, have become his voice, for as time wears he will not be able to speak at all."   
  
His eyes fell to Tarrian briefly, and then finally to the Jedi, who stood entwined within the twisted bonds forged by Ahriman. Their consciousness was beginning to stabilize.  
  
"Events must be redirected. These Jedi fell flawlessly into a trap, one whose outcome has been known before Bishop even attained the status of Dark Lord. They are here to sacrifice for a greater reasoning, one never dreamed of in the minds of the Jedi. Though they are your enemies, those who shall fall today should be honoured."  
  
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.  
  
"Unfortunately this great sacrifice involves the destruction of their souls."  
  
Raynuk had returned from the control tower by that point in time, and now stood about ten meters behind Malvagio. His arms were crossed over his chest as they always seemed to be now a days.

Bishop's left fingers twitched slightly while standing next to Malvagio during the address. When it ceased, he popped his head to one side, as though loosening a muscle in that one motion. The stroke became a turn that carried him around to face the Jedi and Ahriman lined with those who had chosen to become his pupils.  
  
Eight Jedi stood there, recovering each at varying speeds from the effects of the trap. The two noble Jedi Masters, BlckClone and Tares. The five who had followed them to Arbra, Goodwood, Ryoo, Skye, Nom, and Keiran. The once Sith who now believed he could cleanse the darkness that tainted him, Nahstaa. Their bonds kept each, and their powers, in check.  
  
He came before the Wookie master, raising his cold right hand alongside the BlackClone's face. The metal finger tips pressed through the thick fur and onto the side of his head while Bishop tipped his blind eyes to the other side. His fingers caressed along the woozy wookie's cheek bone and the ear buried within the fur. The entire palm came to lay on his face before sliding around behind his head and taking a full handful of the wookie's fur and flesh and forcibly pulling him out of line and dragging him out to the centre of the ceremonial grounds.  
  
His hand still held tightly, and he pulled back on BlackClone's head so that, no matter what state the Jedi might still be in after the gas attack, everyone in the surrounding area could see his face clearly. Bishop turned his face away from the wookie, looking back to where both Ahriman and Malvagio stood at the head of the ceremonial grounds.

Looking deeply into the Sith's eyes BC shifted. His eyes exploded with a clear white discharge, they looked like two moons peering deeply into Bishop. BC began murmuring words, words that tore into Bishop's very being.

Bishop turned up to the Jedi masters eyes, but those white moons illuminated nothing in Bishop's soul. The eyes that stared back in neither fear of his chants or disdain of his mutterings held nothing. The emptiness the wookie saw at that moment was nearly as disturbing as the jolt of nausea and pain that Ahriman's cuffs instilled in him when the Jedi drew upon the Force for his display.  
  
Mighty though the wookie's body was, even it was no match for the strength afforded by unrestricted access to the Force and the technological might captured in Bishop's right arm. Steadily, he pulled back and down on Blckclone's head until the Jedi had the choice of either falling backwards off his feet or kneeling.  
  
Releasing his grasp, Bishop tenderly dragged his fingers around the wookie's skull until they reached the dark leathery lips. The light pressure muddling their movement.  
  
"The light cannot reach me down here."  
  
With the same slow and subtle movement, Bishop's fingers pressed through Blckclone's lips, applying the same pressure to his tongue. The metal fingers tasted sharply of steel, dirt, and rusted blood. The fingers stroked down gently over Blckclone's tongue, allowing the taste to soak through, his thumb resting on the bottom of the wookie's jaw. Bishop's head shifted slightly to the other side, still looking upon the wookie when his grip, for the first time caused pain.  
  
The Dark Lord of the Sith's features did not twist or alter. They did not frown and show sadness at the pain reeked. Nor did they twist in a grin of malicious delight. They stayed. Blckclone's lower jaw separated from his face in a semi fluid motion. Hiccuping first when the joint was forced to disconnect from the skull and second when the flesh finished stretching and began to tear.  
  
Bishop held the jaw up by his chest, the blood that remained dribbling slightly onto the stones at his feet. Several of the teeth cracked under his mechanical grip. He held it a moment longer, then flicked his arm to the side to discard it. The lower mandible bounced once on the ground, rolled twice, and settled on the toe of Jaina's boot where she stood with Raynuk.  
  
Bishop's twin voids finally turned away from BlckClone, leaving him alive and alone in the centre of the ceremonial grounds next to the Dark Lord.

Tzeentch stepped into the middle of the ceremonial circle, looked down at the Jedi master, and began to speak.  
  
"There are many qualities that are required to become a Sith. Ambition, desire, drive, cunning, conviction. But there is one thing that a Sith requires above all else. - Vengeance."  
  
Tzeentch walked towards the other Sith assembled, away from Bishop and Malvagio.  
  
"It is what gives us our drive, our desire, it forces us to be cunning, it makes us follow its path with conviction, and only through ambition can we attain the power to achieve it. It is our pursuit of vengeance, whether against people, or powers, or the things from our past, that define us as Sith.  
  
Now the tools for vengeance are before us, in the form of a handful of captured Jedi. At last we can avenge the past wrongs committed. Millennia ago, we were cast out, feared and coveted by others for our power. Now is the time for us to retake that power, and our rightful place in this galaxy."  
  
A man hooded under a black cowled cloak stepped forward from the shadows, like a dark omen and Tzeentch handed him an ornate hammer, engraved with scenes of the plague of death.  
  
"Prepare for our vengeance Nhagathul!"  
  
The fragmentation grenade directly in front of Malvagio received it's detonation code, sending the voice of Bishop to hell in small pieces. The manacles on the Jedi fell off with a gesture, and the battle for the salvation of the galaxy began.  
  
"For Abaddon." Tzeentch stated.

BC's power could be felt by all the Jedi with him. He commanded his orders through the force.  
  
"Begin now, my jedi the time has come push the evil out. Use the lightside and together we can win. Tares, Keiran, and the others, start the lightside exorcism now!"  
  
Using every piece of force energy in his body BC begin to push the dark spirit out of Bishop. Slowly Tares and Keiran began as well. Bishop could do nothing to stop it now.

On his feet, finally totally collected, Tares drew up the power of the force. Like a pressure tank filling up, his powers compressed into him. Finally, the power was released into the exorcism....

Skye stood silently to the side recovering from the remaining effects of the gas. She had focused inwards and had removed the taint of toxins and was now working on regaining her strength. Opening her eyes she looked around the grounds. Shocked at what was happening to Master Blckclone she silently recited the jedi code, gaining inner strength from the words and refusing to feel anything apart from determination. Her gaze shifted around the circle, resting on her Master, the man she respected and admired most from their order. She had a lot of respect for their leader, Master BC as well but hadn't had a lot to do with him.

Feeling the manacles drop at her feet Skye's head snapped around in the direction of Tzeentch, gasping as she also caught sight of a familiar figure now running from the grounds, along with another before disappearing from her view... in her mind she called out a name.

"_Ashley!"_

Skye didn't move, didn't want to bring undue attention to herself, feeling that there was something bigger going on around her. Feeling the conflict between light and darkness surrounding them. Her eyes tracked back again to Tares, Blckclone and Keiran, watching and waiting.

Now even more free to use the force, BC kept applying lightside energy onto BoB's body. He could feel the dark energy being pushed out. Tares, Keiran, and BC were almost done, he spoke out through the force.  
  
"All jedi move in and defend the three of us. When we are done we can fight together."  
  
With that BC went back to concentrating on removing the evil within BoB.

As Master Blckclone's voice came into her mind, Skye moved slowly closer to the three, willing to defend them any way she could. Reaching Master Tares she turned to face away from him, watchful and noticed a female Twi'lek approach her, she also noticed two other women heading from the grounds, one clearly in control of the other and she wondered who they were.

Sirvani walked briskly up to Skye and raised her blade.  
  
"You can't hide from the Sith," she said darkly, raising her blade. "Turn to the Dark Side or die."

Skye's attention was brought back to the red Twi'lek and she regarded her carefully before quietly replying peacefully.

"I don't want to fight you... and I won't turn to the Darkside... no-one needs to die... You could come across to the light ..."

Her voice trailed off as she saw one of the Sith Master's – Raynuk - move to stand infront of BoB, regarding them but not interfering with the exorcism and saw him eye the other sith, including the one in front of her... seeing a slight change of expression crossed her face Skye gathered that the sith had just received silent orders as well. She then heard him as he spoke aloud to the Master of the Jedi.

"You have no hope of doing much besides curing Bishop BlackClone... afterwards, what do you plan on trying to do?"

Skye remained silent and watchful, waiting to see what would happen next.

Bishop's eyes narrowed as Blckclone's shackles fell to the ground between them. Their ensuing antics washed over him. He twitched his head away from the group, twisting it around the long way to face them with a single step to facilitate the body movement. He brought his gaze up to the largest mass of the assembled Jedi, dipping his head to one side a bit.  
  
"An exorcism, how interesting."  
  
His attention didn't divert when Raynuk placed himself between Bishop and the Jedi. Even the Sith Master did not speak of things he fully understood. None of them understood the position they had themselves in now. Bishop shrugged and rolled his shoulders, as though passing off a particularly tough muscle cramp.  
  
Khorn began the act of sucking away the energy that had gathered in this place. The act in itself was not important. It could always be drained from him again after the fact. The diverging flow of the Force, though, caught all of the Jedi and Sith off guard, feeling much the same as though they were loosing their powers for the moment. Bishop's stoicism did not falter.  
  
"You cannot cast the soul of a body out as you would a demon. It is too inexplicably bound."  
  
The dark shell the Jedi pushed so heavily upon surged back against their will, fighting the whole of their attempts. Bishop's gaze finally fell down to Blckclone, who in all the chaos had not moved from his position. Too intent on fighting Bishop in other ways.  
  
Bishop's face remained the same as he reached up sharply, grabbing the wookie skull in his mechanical hand. His steel thumb found hold in the burned right eye socket. His back straightened and his face raised up towards the clouding skies as he twisted down, straining the neck of the Jedi who focused most on the gambit they were taking. The popping vertebrae marked the end as the spinal chord was shredded by breaking bones.  
  
Bishop pulled his hand back to his side, his fingers dragging the shattered remains a moment before Blckclone's corpse fell to the ground. The face of the Dark Lord twisted on itself at the new death, his focus turning inward for a moment. His mouth dropped open, slack jawed, as he brought his wide eyes up to regard the seven Jedi that remained. His left hand lifted to his cheek, pressing at first lightly then with increasing intensity as his elbow raised slowly to extend fully over his head. His fingers grasped through his matted and greying hairs and against his pale and leathery skin.  
  
"The Sith who brings me the most worthy collection of Jedi heads will become the heir to my throne."  
  
His left hand pulled away from his face, which was left in much the same expression, and a charge of Force lightning sparkled from his finger tips. The tendrils of energy lunged hungrily for Jedi padawan and master alike.

As the lightning spread, and the nothingness attacked, Nahstaa didn't have a chance to move... He saw it happen, at a snails pace.  
  
Ever so slowly, the lightning arced out towards him, twisting, writhing like it was being tortured itself... His body refused to respond. His mind could work, at this speed, but not his body... He felt the singeing in his side, the burning as the lightning hit him full on in the gut, searing deeply, cauterising the wound as it went...  
  
That was only the beginning... Just as the lightning stopped, the thing that wasn't smashed him aside, and he flew to one side, cast away like a rag doll... all he could do was push away the bond with his sister, so she wouldn't feel it... before he did, he sent the briefest flicker of love out to her, possibly his last goodbye...   
  
As he landed to the side of the grounds, his body struck the hard earth, and he found himself looking up at the sky... _Full circle... isn't that funny_... he found himself looking at the same tortured atmosphere he had looked at, only weeks ago, when he had first set eyes on Mimban's Sky... and then it all went black...  
  
_The cold rushed through Nahstaa, pouring through him like a river, stripping him bare, tumbling him against the bottom... It poured through his mind, and tore pieces away with it..._

Drawing in the destructive energies of the force lightning into his body, Tares began to channel the energies around him. With in mere seconds the attack was converted into his own source of power. In time a swirl of white force energy swarmed around the Jedi Master.   
  
"Perhaps a soul can't be caste away Dark One, but you are no soul. You are a demon." Tares stated.  
  
As the worlds left his mouth, the energies were released towards Bishop. The summoning of such power was only possible for Tares during times of chaos. With in a split second the white cloud smashed into the Dark One, bombarding the demon with in. At the end of the attack, when the dust had settled all those present could feel something lacking in Bishop. The demon was no more....

Darla stood with her new master watching the chaos unfold. She had slowly been regaining her grip on reality as her master had not injected her for a while. Masking this with the facade of being in a child like state, Darla had kept her thoughts guarded and refrained from touching upon the force.  
  
_Tares! My real master!_  
  
The face of Tares Vortex was enough to snap Darla out of her confusion and bring a torrent of past life memories flooding back into her consciousness.  
  
_I remember everything...._  
  
Darla realised that this woman was not her mother or her master and any compassion she had felt was an illusion to lure her here, for what reasons she did not know.  
  
_She wants to make me a sith! That's the only explanation..._  
  
Darla looked down at the long black dress that adorned her body. It was part gown and part death shroud and not Darla at all. There was a dark beauty to it but she preferred a flight suit, something she could fight and move in.  
  
Without a word Darla began to run away from the sith woman. She grabbed the dress and tore the side of it open so that she could run easily. She still dared not touch the force and was still a little woozy from the drugs but her athletic body hurtled her forward towards the jedi....   
  
A strange dark man had slain BlckClone, who Darla remembered to be the current leader of the jedi. Now he lashed out at her comrades with dark force lightning. There was nothing she could do but be by their sides. She kept running, head on into the onslaught.  
  
"TARES!!!!" She shouted out at the top of her lungs.

As Darla ran towards the battle some of the force lightning hit her knocking her to the ground. She lay there in a world of pain, spacing from the destructive energies coursing through her body. Every nerve felt like it was on fire but the pain made her mind seen clear and focused. The energy dissipated into the ground. She had only caught a glancing blow and not a full on attack, for that she was glad.   
  
_You're a glutton for punishment....._  
  
As she lay on the ground, her black robe in tatters, she saw her former master do something amazing. She felt it more than saw...  
  
Tares had drawn the dark mans' energy into him self and somehow in a flash of blinding white it was all over.  
  
_What happened?!_  
  
Darla's robe was torn and her skin was blistered and burnt in several places, blood oozing form the worst parts...But she was alive. Willing herself to her feet she made her way over to her old Master.  
  
Her eyes filled with joy at finally finding him again.  
  
"Master, its me I'm alive.....I've been searching for you for so long." Her eyes became glassy and tears threatened to erupt.

Too many things were happening at once, too many twists, too many turns...Too many backstabs. Raynuk watched Bishop crush BlackClone's skull within his own metallic fingers, and felt the smallest of pity for the Jedi Master, no...not pity, more of respect. There were too many sides in this fight, and Raynuk was stuck in the middle with little to no clue of what was happening.  
  
The whole situation really messed with Raynuk's mind as the chains of devotion and feeling pulled him in separate directions. But Raynuk had to ignore the chains, and trust the only thing and the only person he had ever fully trusted.  
  
Himself.   
  
Looking around, he realized that very few people actually were taking note of him...No one was here to try to take him out. The battle was confusing, and Raynuk would rather not make a wrong choice.   
  
Disengaging his lightsabers, he put them back on his belt, keeping an eye out for anything sudden. His eyes scanned the Jedi, watching them all as his mind decided what to do.  
  
_They will regret this move in the end..._  
  
Raynuk had made his mind up...he would leave this battle, let it settle itself and return when the dust cleared. But he wasn't planning on leaving this battle empty handed.  
  
Raynuk walked forward, stepping over the corpse of BlackClone, and watched silently as Nahstaa fell to the ground, a direct hit by force lightning. The Jedi were still feeling the ill effects of the gas, and Raynuk capitalized on this.  
  
Reaching down, he grabbed Skye by her hair, and dragged her to her feet   
  
"Hello my dear... Come, walk with me a while won't you?"  
  
Raynuk turned, and dragged Skye across the ceremonial fields by her hair, leaving the battle, and taking his insurance.

Keiran stood in awe, ignoring the pain from the lightning burst made by BoB, the retaliatory attack by Tares was awe-inspiring enough to ignore pain for a while._  
  
__"He did it... the lord of the sith is gone..." __  
_  
Keiran fell to his knees, jaw opened as he brought himself back to the real world and suffered the pain from the lightning attack. After a few seconds of writhing on the ground, Keiran found his composure, pushed aside the pain and stood once more.  
  
He saw as Raynuk grabbed Skye and began marching her off, trying to make his escape.  
_  
__"Skye... she's Tares' apprentice... he must recover from his last attack, only one thing to do I guess"_  
  
Keiran sprinted off away from the battle, chasing after Raynuk unarmed, as he slowly gained on them, he stopped about 100m away and screamed out.  
  
"RAYNUK!!! Don't tell me you've dipped to the level of kidnapping padawans! Leave the girl, you will not be pursued, I assure you of that."

Tarrian watched out of the corner of her eye for her ward, and let her get just so far and fall on the ground from the force lightning...she grabbed her with the force and hauled her back. Once again at her side, she quickly injected her and guided her to her old rooms. Placing the now sleeping girl in Kaylynn's old quarters, she locked the door tight and told the girl to rest...  
  
Returning to the place where Bishop was, she was torn she stood a moment and then bumped into Raynuk.

BC's jawless mouth grinned as he fell. It hit hard and as it did the ground shook. Time seemed to stall as the Jedi Master fell, he gave his last orders as he lay dieing.  
  
_"__Do not interfere my Jedi. The sith will let us pass if you do not attack these Sith. We will have our time, and I thank you, we have saved the galaxy from a true tyrant this day. You are all so brave."_   
  
Every Jedi felt the message and felt a large void in the force as BC lay dead. He had breathed his last breathe, but he would return. Upon his return he would be the most powerful force user to grace the galaxy.

Darla was just within reach of her old master, mere meters away when some powerful force yanked her back. It was the sith Woman, she was a powerful presence that Darla was unable to resist. Through the force she was yanked back.  
  
She screamed out but it was to no avail, within seconds she was within the sith's grasp. She struggled but soon felt the cold steel of a syringe in her neck then everything went away. She tried to the resist the toxins coursing through her veins but she was too weak.   
  
She mumbled incoherently as she was quickly led away by her Sith master.   
  
"...no....not here....no....Tares...Tares....." she could not say much and it made little sense.  
  
She felt herself being lifted and then the softness of a mattress beneath her. As soon as she hit the bed sleep took her in its warm dark embrace. The battle was gone and so was the pain. Once again she knew not who she was, once again she drifted away from herself......

On the ground, the nearly lifeless body of Tares lay weak. His skin was burnt, his body failing him. The great energy he released had done more damage to him that what was apparent. On the ground, the semi-aware jedi only thought about his apprentices that were now taken... both of them....

As the force lightning hit her Skye fell to the ground, her skin smoking and blistering before her eyes... and the pain... she smothered a scream by biting on her hand, tasting blood but not giving the sith satisfaction of hearing her crying out in pain.

"_Focus Skye... focus dammit! Let the force heal me, please let the force heal me" _

Skye drew her focus inwards trying to concentrate the Force into a healing power. She would not give in to the pain, nor give in to the blackness that threatened to take her consciousness from her. It was a difficult task but she was determined to succeed. Slowly... ever so slowly did she begin to feel the warmth of the force flowing through her veins, healing the burning sensations, soothing her wounds. Opening her eyes she looked at her Master, her eyes widening as she saw what he was doing. The oppressive darkness was lifting and it was due to what her Master was doing. A fresh burst of pain ripped through her then and a scream ripped from her throat...

"Nahstaa!!! Nooooo!!!"

She felt her brother's pain and a brief wave of affection for her come through the sibling's bond before he closed her off. Forgetting her own pain she redirected her focus towards him... forcing open their bond and sending the healing lifeline through to him. She replaced the cold with warmth and returned the affection he'd sent to her.

A fresh burst of pain hit her again, breaking her concentration from her brother. This time the pain came from a different source as she felt someone grasp her by her hair and begin to drag her off. With so much pain still raking through her body she had no choice but to follow, to try and keep up with him as to pull back increased the pain in her head.

_"Hello my dear... Come, walk with me a while wont you?"_

This sith looked familiar to her somehow and she cast her memories back to where she might _know_ him from. It came to her suddenly... Darex... racing towards a sith on Hoth with his blue lightsaber blade flashing... him being hit with force lightning by this sith... Raynuk Montar.

"I know you... you were at Hoth. What do you want with me?" Skye was calm until she caught a glimpse behind them of Master Tares lying on the ground, her eyes widening as she struggled and screamed out, " Let me go!! Master Tares!!!"

His grip on her hair was tight and painful, bringing tears to her eyes. She would have to get him to release her somehow. Instead she tried to focus again on healing herself, reducing the pain in her nerve endings as they moved along, trying to prepare herself incase she got the chance to escape so that she could return to her Master. She needed to get back to her Master. They came to a sudden halt infront of another sith, the woman who took the other away from the ceremony. _"Oh great, this just gets better with every passing moment..."_

_"RAYNUK!!! Don't tell me you've dipped to the level of kidnapping padawans! Leave the girl, you will not be pursued, I assure you of that."_

"Keiran!!" Skye cried out to him and at the same moment felt Master Blckclone become one with the Force.

Raynuk looked silently at Tarrian, answering her silent questions with silent answers. He looked over at Bishop as well, and Kakuto standing over him.  
  
_He's gone Tarrian..._  
  
He looked back at her and shook his head. He had let his grasp of Skye go, and now grabbed her again by the arm to drag her off again when Keiran yelled.  
  
As he yelled, Raynuk spun on his heels, staring back at him. The Jedi was standing, and looked as determined as BlackClone had been just moments earlier. Raynuk looked down at Skye, who was still feeling the rigors of pain coursing through her. She seemed genuinely scared, and for a second, Raynuk allowed himself pity.  
  
"Take her then Keiran...apparently she means more to you than me"  
  
He threw Skye at Keiran, knocking them both to the ground, just incase Keiran got any delusions of grandeur. As Raynuk turned to continue running back to the temple, he gave Tarrian one last look of sorrow.

Tarrian Skywalker stood alone for a moment then began to move toward Kakuto Ryu. She stopped a moment by Keiran and Skye and looked a moment but continued on to where Tares was still laying...Kneeling down, she spoke softly to him..."Your apprentice is safe, but I sense you are in need. I will see you soon Jedi Master. Go now and take the wookie. Make sure you care for him...He must be cloned." She knelt there for a moment longer and smiled as she used the force to take on some of his pain so that he could do the tasks that she required. "you and I will meet again, very soon I think."   
  
Standing up, she went to KR and touched his shoulder..."Kakuto, he is gone, leave him to me...whether you like him or not...you don't disgrace the dead."

Keiran lay on the ground, covered in mud, as he looked up at the raining sky of Mimban._  
  
__"I can't believe I don't get paid for this... I liked this robe"_   
  
Keiran got to his feet and tried to brush the mud off his crimson robe to no avail_  
  
__"Damn"_   
  
Keiran then helped Skye onto her feet and checked for injuries. Finding none, Keiran then led her back to Tares' ground-ridden form. Keiran crouched beside his friend and touched his shoulder, inducing the force into his body to help heal the injuries and calm the jedi master.  
  
"Tares... Skye is safe... I brought her back from Raynuk's clutches unfortunately I cannot say the same for Darla, I do not know what happened to her."

Letting Keiran help her up, she brushed off some of the mud, walking with him back to Master Tares. She watched as the female sith master knelt by Master Tares for a moment before getting up and moving on to the dark lord Bishop. Reaching her master's side Skye knelt beside him and along with Keiran began to heal her Master while listening as Keiran spoke to him. Hearing a name, she placed a hand on Keiran's arm and spoke up...

"Darla? Was she the one that got led back towards the temple by that Sith there?" Skye answered softly as she pointed in Tarrian's direction. "I saw her lead someone away just before the 'main event' got underway... I also saw Ashley and another girl run towards the temple"

Seeing her Master regaining his strength slightly and that Keiran was concentrating on him still. Methodically she made her way around the rest of the Jedi, checking on their various wounds and ignoring her own for the time being, she moved over to her brother again, checking his vital signs and was relieved that he was still with her. She focused on him again, helping to pull him out of the coldness that still gripped him.

Slowly, Nahstaa twisted in his river of darkness, being battered along... and then it hit him...  
  
'_Wouldn't it just be so much easier, to give in... to let it take you... just think, it could all be over... all over, once and for all... you wouldn't feel it anymore... gone, forever...'_  
  
In his mind, he reeled, hit by the command of a presence so dark, and so powerful... All that kept him sane was his sister... what would become of her, if he let go like this... let his soul be taken... '_IGNORE HER!!! she matters not, all of you will turn! TURN!!!_ 'over the battle, one voice was heard, for a brief second... "NO!" It was short, sharp, and refusing... in his mind, he spoke to the beast...

'_You may take my soul, but I will never turn to the darkness... For to long I have wavered back to that path, never again will I walk it... I am of the light, take what you will from me..._'  
  
As soon as he had managed to get this out, he opened the bond to his sister, letting her share what he felt... it was good...  
  
Though he twisted in pain, he was whole... He had let go of the dark, and he radiated the warmth of the light...  
  
Without any further ado, he rose to his feet, faced the beast, and awaited his death, one with the force, one with the light...

Both Malvagio and the Bishop, great beings in their time, had long been expired. Their mere shells were played up to this point, now finally brought to an end. The foreign power would have allowed no other outcome, as the labour behind the show now resided its concentration on the audience it had gathered. It was time to collect.  
  
Nahstaa was throne to the side of the grounds, his body deeply ridden by the Bishop's final attack. As his brain lost awareness with its senses, a short manipulation took place. The Nothing touched his fading awareness, coxing it into a calm stupor. In the short dream, Nahstaa found himself with the light, all the elements of his eventful but ultimately trivial life congregating into a final moment's piece. The power caressed his will, subtly suggesting it until it was finally at rest, and shined with radiance difficult to attain for even a Jedi. Then, just as it was content with all things, it was torn apart like tissue paper. Only the dust of what decorated the core of his soul remained, the rest consumed by the grounds, joining with its will.  
  
Its power growing, the influence that raged about them threw forth allusion to suit its ends. Nurgle was easily directed to an apparition of the Nhagathul, assuming immediately that she commanded the corpse of the fallen Sith from within his body. Of course it would make sense for her to generate nearby after its power was shaken from the Bishop. Tzeentch was more difficult to fool, his mind being that of a great schemer. Yet, even in their ability, they were young in the universe, and the enemy they sought to battle was one who had survived countless ages. In the great chaos of the events, even subtle suggestions of location were easy to impound. John found himself addressed by Nurgle's insults, followed by the coming of his scythe. Just as well, Tzeentch concentration bent into a flare of palpable energy, thrown at the allusion apparition standing in the place of John. To them, at the moment of action, John seemed the source of their hate. To John, the two warriors had attacked him without warning or cause. To the Nothing, the resonance of their draining powers only served to fuel its own.

Skye had made her way back over to Keiran and her Master helping once again with his healing process, when she felt the bond with her brother open once more. She could feel him in conflict, he was having an internal battle against something... something dark.

"NO!"

His determined voice reverberated around her mind before the bond opened fully and she felt a warmth radiating through like nothing she'd known before in her brother's presence. Skye could feel how good Nahstaa was feeling, at peace with the lightside of the force. She saw him stand then, facing something that she couldn't see.

"Nahstaa... NOOOO!!" An anguished cry tore from Skye's throat, her hands flew to either side of her head, clutching it as their bond was abruptly severed. Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed at her Master's side sobbing uncontrollably.

Rapidly blacking out from reality, Tares continued to lay on the ground. With his last ounce of strength, he reached out through the force to Skye.   
  
_We need transportation....... out of......... here._  
  
With that reality was lost....

Skye clutched her head in her hands, bereft of the link she had shared with her brother... he was gone and there was nothing, nothing she could do about it. The emptiness where she had felt her sibling's connection left an ache that she was not sure how to deal with. When she had felt the passing of Ben'a & Keiran on Hoth, she had not felt this same intense feeling of emptiness, nor when BC became one with the force a few short hours before Nahstaa. No, this was something different entirely.

She was struggling to deal with her grief, even though she knew she had to. _He will be back... Ben'a and Keiran got cloned and they are here now... so he will be back..._ Logic began to circle within her mind before she heard her Master's voice...

"_We need transportation....... out of......... here" _

"Master!" Skye snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Master Tares speaking to her in her mind through their force bond. He sounded very weak and her concern for him brought her out of her misery and back to the reality of their situation, there would be time for her grief later, but not now. She sat up and looked at her Master's pale face, taking in his wounds and working out what needed to be treated first, he was fading on her . She could see where Keiran had healed him alittle and had kept her Master calm. She focused totally on him then, evaluating his injuries.

Glancing around she saw that the Sith had disappeared from view leaving behind the few remaining Jedi. She noticed then, that they had lost another of their number – Nom Anorus – while she had been out of it and that fact shocked her again. She mentally shook her head and looked at her remaining companions.

"Keiran, Ben'a, Ryoo... we need to get out of here. One of you find a ship that will get us off this rock. This is a mining planet isn't it? A mining shuttle will do if you can find one ... I need reinforcement to help heal Master Tares. He's in a bad way and I suspect that he has internal injuries as well."

Her gaze went back to her Master then, he needed her full attention. To do so though, she would have to heal some of her own injuries first. Focusing inwards she felt the Force flowing through her, soothing the burning sensations and healing the worst of her blistering. She had been lucky in one respect that Raynuk had kidnapped her when he did, as she missed the worst of the force lightning. Not so with regards to her Master. Feeling that she had healed herself enough to get by, she focused again on Master Tares.

She placed her hand briefly upon his brow, soothing him as she returned her whole attention to his injuries. Moving to his chest she could see where his clothing had been melted against his skin by the intense heat of the force lightning. Ever so gently, she began to remove the muddy, blood soaked material from him. Using the Force to dull the pain in his nerve endings as she went. She felt someone else join their force powers with her, letting her be the healing focus.

"Someone see if you can find me some clean water and a cloth... if you can find a med pack that would be a bonus"

She heard a ripping sound and was handed a piece of cloth that looked like it was part of someone's robe. She was also handed what looked to be a ceremonial bowl of some kind, she didn't take the time to discover. It didn't matter, all that did was that the water was clean. Dampening the cloth she used it to clean her Master's worst wounds. She went back to cleaning the deep wound on his chest, channelling the Force from herself to her Master. She would not let her Master be taken from her like her brother had been.

Keiran stood as he watched Tares close his eyes, Keiran then reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small emergency syringe. Keiran pushed the syringe into Tares and extracted a sample of blood, promising to resurrect the great master if Skye's attempts failed. Keiran placed the syringe safely into his utility belt and patted Skye on the shoulder.  
  
"Good luck"  
  
Keiran then stood and looked around at the remaining jedi, noting the tragic losses that the group had suffered.  
_  
__"A ship eh..."_  
  
Keiran reached out with the force, trying to find the telltale signs of a mining outpost where the natural ground had been disturbed. However Keiran sensed something completely different... the resurrected presence of BC.  
  
_"He's back... I'm sure he'll get us off this rock in no time" __  
_  
Keiran sat back down and tried to relax, knowing BC would be coming to the group's rescue.

His ship screeched out of hyperspace over Mimban. As it prepared to enter the atmosphere BC readied the extra ship protection chips. Slowly taking it through the dangerous Mimban atmosphere. He landed in an open area close to where he felt his fellow Jedi. They all knew he was there as he sent a once message.  
  
'_Come quickly I am here to bring you all home_.' Blckclone's voice come into Skye's mind and filled her with a renewed hope as she watched his ship land.

She noticed another Jedi padawan come up to them from across the ceremonial grounds and wondered briefly how he got there, his face wasn't familiar to her. She moved back from her Master and observed the newcomer take his cloak off to cover Master Tares.

_"What did you tell me of persistence," _Andon Colos thought to himself, _"never give up until the end and even in that final moment beg to fight just a little bit longer."_  
  
His hallowed walk through the woods towards the presences of the other Jedi he felt was a difficult one, but not physically...rather mentally. He was still unsure why he risked breaking through the atmosphere in a regular ship, the act was pure suicide yet in the moment he didn't care. Turns out his Master was right, during the tide of battle emotions need to be kept in control , for his judgement had been clouded. He landed only to say good-bye to a friend and help his Order in any way he could, and much to his surprise the former gave him the cold shoulder. Darkness tainted us all to a certain extent, but it could never truly consume a being nor could the light inside ever be vanquished entirely.  
  
Though he was only an apprentice he felt beyond his years somehow, like his natural calling had finally found him and he was revelling in its glory...but this place was no glory. All around him the rancid feeling of death and sorrow reached outward to his mind in an attempt to corrupt it, but as he walked with his black hood covering his eyes no outside interference could touch him. He'd tracked her presence across the slaughtering grounds and into a looming tower where another dark being met her, strangely feelings of compassion emanated from both towards each other. His eyes focused as another presence peaked through the Force, that of Ashley Jade and already her aura was being tainted as well; this was truly a day of failure.  
  
As his walk led him to the point of interest, three presences appeared from nothingness and the apprentice instinctively reached for his lightsaber, but to his delight they were three Jedi. The ceremonial grounds were drenched in impurity and in return all within its grasp gave off a slight notion of darkness and malice. On the ground lay a Jedi Andon had never seen before and tending to his wounds was a female Jedi who's face was unfamiliar as well. Turning his head slightly he caught sight of a Jedi Knight he had seen at the briefing before the Battle of Coruscant...Keiran was it, Andon wasn't sure; the day had played quite a toll on his mind.  
  
Upon further inspection of the man's wounds he had received quite a jolt of electricity, Force Lightning no doubt, and he was in pretty bad shape. Approaching the three he quickly removed his black cloak and placed it over the fallen man's body from the neck down. Adjusting his hazel gaze he caught the eyes of the female attending too him.   
  
"He's in shock, it'd be best to try to keep him as warm as possible" Andon softly told her. Now clad in only his black tunic, dark silver undershirt and black pants he made his way over to the Jedi Knight sitting down a few feet from the pair and knelt crouched beside him, his eyes ever trained on a Sith Apprentice not far from them. Still keeping his eyes locked he spoke to the Knight.

"Any bright ideas how to get off this planet? We could take my ship," he said pointing off towards the crash site, "but it's that flaming pile of wreckage over there in the distance."

"I agree with you but I was in the process of cleaning his wounds..." Skye's eyes flashing with annoyance, she looked him in the eye and as he moved to pick her master up she added protectively, "Be careful with how you move him, you don't want to add to his injuries!"

With a roar in the skies above, the apprentice's head snapped to the attention as his eyes caught that of a ship breaking through the atmosphere. It moved quite fast for its size and as volleys of turbolaser fire filled the horizon, all of them missing, he instantly knew it was a vessel here to rescue them. As the repulser lifts of the ship scorched the ground underneath it's reach the landing ramp lowered and instantly a familiar face emerged, that of Master Gantoris. As he gave word for them to evacuate the planet Andon's spirits raised, but at the same time his heart sank...he wanted to leave and yet he didn't.  
  
In the end the Jedi in Andon won the struggle and he rose to his feet and moved over to the injured Jedi Master laying on the ground. It wouldn't be good to move him, but to leave him still would only make his condition worse...either way he wouldn't be walking away from this under his own power. Kneeling beside the female Jedi he further wrapped his cloak around him and placing his arms underneath of him, Andon hoisted him over his shoulder as gently as he could and began walking towards the ship. Going up the landing ramp he quickly looked for a place to put him down and noticing a cluster of three seats together that could serve as a bed, he easily lowered him onto it.   
  
The apprentice wished he could help further, but he didn't know anything about healing...Master Akturus had trained him purely as a warrior and a survivor. The one thing he did know how to do was energy manipulation, the transferring of the Force from one thing to another. Placing his hand over the man's faintly breathing chest the Padawan summoned every resolve of Force knowledge he had, his mind reaching outward around him drawing the mystic energy field into his body and channelling it into the weakened Jedi's body. Though he had no knowledge of healing he hoped that the Jedi Master's sub-conscious being could use the newfound body to heal his wounds or at least slow the bleeding until medical attention could be administered.

Keiran followed Andon as the apprentice carried Master Tares onto the ship. As Keiran approached the ramp he locked eyes with Master BC and nodded. Without a word Keiran entered the ship and came back out with a blaster carbine he had found in the ship's armoury.  
  
"Master BC, I'll protect the rest of the jedi as they board, please prepare the ship for takeoff. You're death, Nom's death and Master Tares' injury are heavy on everyone's mind, so heading home is what we all want."  
  
Keiran dropped to one knee and brought up his blaster carbine to eye level, keeping it there as he swept the area around the ship, making sure only jedi boarded.

Skye followed close behind as Andon carried Master Tares into Master Blckclone's ship and nodded to Keiran as she passed him, quickly moving to her Master's side again to make him as comfortable as she could. She didn't like how pale he looked. Glancing back at the other padawan she spoke with an apologetic tone.

"I'm sorry I snapped out there, it's just that I'm so worried about my Master. Can you find me a first aid kit while I clean up his wounds so I can dress them." Then as an after thought added "I'm Skye – Master Tares padawan."

'We leave now all Jedi without a ship get to mine I leave in 2 hours.' Master BC's voice echoed throughout the ship and beyond...  
  
All the Jedi in the area heard this call and rushed to his ship.

Keiran took one step back and entered BC's ship.  
_  
__"Damn, I hate taking the bus... I really need to get my ship back..."_

Having made Master Tares as comfortable as she is able to on the make shift bed, Skye sank down into a sitting position on the floor, leaning her back up against the 'bed' to conserve her energy. She took hold of her Masters hand and opened the force bond between them, allowing her Master to draw on her energy reserves ...  
  
Leonardo stood up and walked from the room heading to the room filled with Jedi. He could sense one great bond between two of the Jedi, one who was hurt and the other, trying to help. Leo knelt down next to her and spoke.  
  
"I can help him a little. I have practiced the Jedi healing arts on my own, but I do not know how efficient I will be. Is it ok if I help him? It is the least I can do."

Skye looked up at the man who spoke to her, a grateful look on her face at his offer, even if she didn't know who he was.  
  
"I wish there was something you could do but I'm afraid nothing more can be done for my Master until we reach some proper Medical Facilities. The only thing is that I'd like to get Master Tares somewhere where he'd be more comfortable."  
  
With worry etched on her face, she turned to look at her Master again, picking up a clean damp cloth and soothing his pale brow.

With all Jedi accounted fro BC's ship took off back to Manaan.


	8. Chapter 08 Knighted

Chapter 08 Knighted

Shifting in his seat Master BlckClone looked towards Tares as they exited hyperspace over Manaan. His hands rested on his legs palms down. Looking at him was no longer the same. A white wood and bone mask now covered his face.

Lives were greatly changed fighting the evil that was Nhagathul. Looking to those before him he spoke with the force.  
  
_'__I want you to know no one was harmed in vain. This was to save the galaxy and we succeeded. Though another Sith has risen to the throne, Bishop of Battle was ready to destroy every person and capture every soul in the galaxy. We stopped him, and for that I thank you.'_   
  
His mask now acted as his jaw, and his eyes were now the force. Bishop had made BC more powerful then he was before. BC was now apart of the force. He looked at his downed companion, slowly standing and walking towards him, the large wookie's hand touched Tares on his temples. Concentrating Tares slowly awoke continuing to use his heal technique BC stood above the master.  
  
_"__You will heal my friend."_

As the ship set down on Manaan, Keiran observed as BC began healing Tares.  
_  
__"He truly has changed... he is the force"_  
  
Keiran smiled and stood, proceeding straight out of the ship, not paying attention to anything or anyone. He made his way to his quarters and lay down on his cot, falling to sleep instantly.

Landing on Manaan was in some ways a relief for Skye as she looked upon her seriously injured Master but in other ways not. She sat back wearily watching as firstly Master BC worked on Tares, then as the medic's came and took him away. She stood and followed as they took him to the Medical Wing and into the operating theatre where they stopped her from going any further.

"Your Master will be alright, he's in the best of hands now and we will take good care of him. You will be able to see him once the surgeons have finished with him." The medic told her, then added as he looked her over, "You on the other hand need to come with me."

She was led into an examination room and her wounds and burns treated, instead of using bandages they used nu-skin, a new product that bound itself to her skin but still allowed it to breathe.. She was then handed a clean change of robes and led to a shower block. Examining her clothing as she removed it, she discovered that it was little better than rags and dropped them into the waste bin rather than try to salvage them. Skye stood under the hot stream of water for a long moment in time, letting the water soothe away her aches and pain, along with the mud and grime from the battle field. She was so tired, yet worry for her Master wouldn't let her rest, not yet.

Skye quickly dressed in the robes, covering her head with the hood of the cloak and left the shower cubical, heading straight for the medic station to enquire about Master Tares. She found out then that his surgery had been successful and that he was resting comfortably.

The force had forsaken him. In the attempts of protecting those Tares cared for, he was shattered. His body lay nearly dead, his spirit broken. Nothing was left for him, but darkness. The emptiness of the void now plagued him straight into his heart.  
  
Wounds would heal, bodies would mend. Yet still there will be nothing for him.  
  
White started to slowly flood into the darkness of his sight. The feeling of the force crept back up. The feeling of a soft bed lay under him. All was peaceful and yet something felt different. The pain he had felt earlier was gone, yet still something was different.  
  
Slowly waking up, he looked around with his eyes to see a few people standing over him. Completely ignoring him, the beings he took as doctors conversed among themselves.  
  
"He is lucky to be alive doctor. With out the efforts of his padawan and the others, he most likely would be dead." One said.  
  
The doctor nodded, "Perhaps, but with out the implants and surgery, we would be dead regardless. Speaking of them, how are the new implants holding up? What with all that was done?"  
  
The first man walked over to a machine beside Tares' bed and began to look at the screen, "Well the events on Mimban took a heavy toll on his body. The energy he released through the force was channelled by his body. Unfortunately the energy was too much that much of his inner workings took damage."  
  
He continued, "His nerve system took the most damage. Many of his organs have been replaced, others are now combined with technological components. His bone and muscle tissue also took a hit, we have had to replace those as well. We replaced the bones with a strong metal alloy, while the muscles I have not been looked into yet. Parts of the brain had to be modified for repairs and to incorporate his new systems. The biggest thing though are the nanites: Damage and repairs of this magnitude couldn't be healed with bacta. The introduction of nanites into his body greatly helped in the healing effort, along with Master BC's help as well. In all, everything is in working over and he should make a full recovery."  
  
At the sound of the doctor's words, Tares finally could place what was different. He was; no longer himself....... he was the thing that was different....

"You can go and see him now if you like." The medic told Skye.

Seeing her nod, the medic led her to the room her Master had been moved to. He looked to be sleeping comfortably so she took a seat by his side, taking his hand both for her own comfort as well as his. Skye sat there for a long time, just watching her Master's face before it all started to catch up with her. Still holding his hand, she crossed her other arm across the first and rested her head on them, promptly falling asleep as exhaustion took it's toll on her.

The man once known as Tares Vortex looked up to the foreigners with in his bed. He could feel the machinery inside of him, which kept his mind on them. He tried to place names with faces, but neither came out. Instead all was hopeless.  
  
"Who are you people?" He asked to the gathering crowd.  
  
Looking at the Jedi, a doctor came over, "I'm sorry but my patient has had medical complications. His memory is fragmented...."

Skye stirred and woke as she heard her Master's voice. She sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes with one hand, while still holding her Masters hand with the other. She was glad to see him awake, but was still very concerned about him.

"Master Tares... it's me, Skye... your padawan... don't you remember me?"

She opened the force bond between them then, and let her Master see her memories.

Kirlocca looked from Tares to his padawan, Skye. He knew what she was doing, but did not move.  
  
_This is the last thing we need. Tares with a memory lost._  
  
Kirlocca moved up along side of the young girl.  
  
"You are also a jedi master...one who is on the council, one who everyone trust and respects. Focus on your padawans thoughts. They may help."   
  
Kirlocca looked deep into Tares eyes. He refused to break his gaze.

Skye looked at Kirlocca, her worry shining in her eyes. Worry for her master as well as for the Jedi as a whole... if her master couldn't regain his memory she didn't know what would happen. Another thought struck her then too, she had seen Ashley on the sith ceremonial grounds on Mimban as well as on BC's ship and it was Ashley's sister that had defected back to the sith... her sister had been to Manaan, Ish had told her that. With that, the sith would now know where the Jedi had a base and that meant that the Eternal Vigilance on Manaan would not be safe for much longer. She voiced her fears to Kirlocca and looked back at her Master.  
  
She also wanted to go somewhere reasonably safe so that she could get her brother cloned, maybe to Coruscant.

Tares looked around the room. He remembered slightly the one called Skye. The others though were foreign to him. Skye's memories were mostly useless to him as well. Mostly though, Tares had no idea to who he was.  
  
Shaking his head violently Tares wanted out, "Why do you all keep hounding me? I don't know, I don't know!"

Kirlocca let out a sigh. His eyes moved from Tares to his padawan, Skye. He then stood tall and spoke in a loud voice so that everyone could hear him.  
  
"Jedi of the Order, It has come to my attention that our base has been compromised. I will not order anyone to stay behind, But I have decided that I will NOT lose this base. Stay and prepare to fight if you wish. Leave if you really must."  
  
Kirlocca then walked away from Skye and Tares. He walked into the main council chambers and began to meditate...

Skye was internally fighting to keep her composure. Seeing her Master like this upset her greatly and it was all she could do not to let the tears flow. She had to stay strong, for his sake. Taking a deep breath she forced the tears away, refusing to let her emotions control her and turned with calm composure to those surrounding her master's bed.

"Could we be left alone for a while, please... My master is getting upset and needs to be calmed"

The doctors nodded to her and signalled for the rest to leave the room, or to move to the other end of the ward. She took another deep breath, silently recited the jedi code to draw extra mental strength from it and turned back to her Master.

"Master Tares, please, you need to be calm. It's alright, the others have gone now. I will leave if you want me to as well, but I want to help you Master in any way that I can, if you'll let me."

She took hold of his hand again after having released it earlier and sent calming, loving and soothing thoughts through to him, willing him to calm himself. She cared deeply for her Master, loved him like she would a close friend... nothing romantically implied though. She hoped that her Master would regain his sense of self soon.

Throwing off the sheets, Tares stood up and looked to a mirror. All along his chest, scars began to fade away at the nanite's work; scars he didn't remember getting. All the walls of composure that Tares once had, were all but forgotten. All the views of shadow were now gone, all that remained was fear, anger, and sadness. All he remembered was the force, "Look at me. I'm a monster. I'm a freak of nature and I failed you. If only the force hadn't forsaken me...."

"But you didn't fail Master, you saved us... all of us and I do not see you as a monster, I see you as a man that has been through a very difficult ordeal and as a strong man that is recovering from that ordeal. I only wish I could do more for you. If there is anything you want me to do, you know you only have to ask."  
  
As she spoke, Skye moved to stand beside her Master resting a hand gently on his arm still sending soothing thoughts his way. She could feel the chaos within his mind and it tore at her heart strings to see him in such conflict.

Tares turned back with red in his eyes, "There is something. Promise me that when you go on as a knight of this order, you will succeed where I failed. One thing I remember is you Skye Organa. Our training together, the events up to the battle. My last thought of you was the wish to knight you...."

"Master..." She said softly, a sigh escaped her lips, "Please believe me, you are not a failure. What you did on that battlefield was amazing. You were the focus that brought an end to Nhagathul. You did not fail master."  
  
Skye noticed the red glints in Master Tares eyes and her worry increased. Somehow she had to get through to her master, but her need for comfort was growing as well. Not knowing how he would take it she murmured softly,

"Please, hold me?"

Tares sighed as the words fell upon deaf ears. What he remembered told him otherwise, what he didn't remember was no help. All he knew now that he was a walking machine with hardly a past and no sense of who he was. His emotions blazed, his control lost. He knew what must be done to save those around him from his pain.  
  
"Skye, the farther you are away from me, the less likely you are to being hurt. I can't bring this upon you. From this point on Skye Organa, you are a Knight of the Jedi Order. The skills you displayed back on Mimban are beyond those that would be tested in the Jedi Trials. Good luck with your life."  
  
With pain in his heart, he stepped out of the quarters and made his way to the hanger bay. Two messages he sent out, one to his brother he somewhat remembered, and the other to BC:  
  
Master BC, I regret to tell you but my current state of weakness is something I must deal with. For this reason I will be taking some time off to find "myself" again. Thank you  
  
From there the lost jedi took off....

Skye stood there stunned as Master Tares spoke then walked away from her. _'I'm now a Jedi Knight...' _While she knew she should be pleased with the promotion she was torn. The turmoil her master was in only added to her confusion. _'Good luck Master Tares...May the Force be with you...' _

She shook her head as she closed off their force bond, _knowing_ that Tares needed to sort things out for himself. She swore to herself that if ever he needed her she would be there... after all, he had created the force bond between them and as far as she could tell, that link couldn't be destroyed. She would only ever be a thought away.

Slowly she made her way though the mostly empty corridors of the Eternal Vigilance, stopping at the clothing store and getting some new clothing, she needed more than one set after all and being now a Knight of the Jedi Order she should look the part. She left the store with 2 new sets of robes, one was a deep midnight blue with silver trim on the hooded cloak, the other a blue/grey tunic with a plain black hooded cloak, a black ship suit and to top it off another set of black general purpose utility boots, all packed neatly into a travel bag.

Reaching her room Skye pulled out a change of clothing and headed to the shower. Dressed in her midnight blue robes, she cleaned and packed away what she had been wearing, a cream and brown tunic with brown cloak. Looking around the room she didn't see anything she would need to take with her so headed back to the computer room that Master Tares had taken her to previously. Dropping her bag on the floor, she pulled up the program that had been used to create her first lightsaber hilt and requested another made to the same specifications.

From there she retraced her previous steps down to the supply bay on deck two, collecting again all the components she needed to create another lightsaber, before she made her way again back to the computer room. She retrieved the hilt, examining it carefully before putting the components in place. All that was needed now was another crystal. She opened the panel and looked upon the crystals within, choosing a paler amethyst to her previous one. She closed the panel again and picked up the hilt, inserting the crystal carefully into it and closing the cover. Skye ignited the saber, hearing the snap-hiss as the blade extended out. The pale crystal made the blade look white with an amethyst tint to it. She swung it in a test, finding it like an extension of her arm and smiled. Closing the blade down, she clipped it onto her belt beneath her robes then leant over picked up her bag and made her way to the hanger bay.

Consulting the droid mechanic she was allocated a jedi starfighter. She leapt up, threw her bag in the storage compartment, and ran a pre-flight check. Finding everything in order she gently lifted off, asked for and received clearance, blasting off into space... destination Coruscant.

Deep within the heat of the Eternal Vigilance, the central computer flashed a few times as it received a private, untraceable, encrypted message from Coruscant. A few seconds later, a voice could be heard throughout the entire jedi ship for all to hear.  
  
_"Fellow members of the jedi order, this is Keiran Valoria. I am currently on Coruscant and I have completed establishing a jedi outpost on the Imperial Capital of Coruscant. This is a moment of jedi history as we now, once again, have a presence on Coruscant, albeit it's an underground presence, it is still a presence. I will stay on Coruscant, directing this outpost and I have decided that I will begin my own campaign of aggravating the Imperials from the inside, for any jedi wishes to join me, come."_

As the starfighter emerged over Coruscant, Skye contemplated what she would do next. First thing was to get her brother cloned. Getting clearance from the authorities to land she followed her force sense and set down next to large hospital complex. She looked over her instrument panel, hitting a few keys that would erase the ships navigational memory banks so that no-one would know where the craft had come from.

She exited the craft, locked it up and headed into the hospital complex, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she went. Arriving at the front desk she politely enquired as to who she could speak to in regards to the cloning facility. Skye was then led though several corridors and down a lift to the lower levels of the complex where the cloning facility was. Once there, she introduced herself to the Doctor in charge, expressing an interest in the process of cloning and the healing arts in general and requesting her brother be cloned, all the while she was careful not to reveal her Jedi affiliation, knowing that the Imperials would have spies everywhere. She was just a concerned sister who wanted her brother returned to her. Skye carefully removed a DNA sample from her bag and handed it over after being told that they would clone her brother for her. They also took a sample of her own DNA to keep on record, telling her that she would not be able to stay for the process.

"When my brother returns, tell him that I will be at the Last Call waiting for him."

She made her way back up the lift and out of the complex then, scanning the area with her Force sense. Finding it clear she made her way back to the starfighter, checking for any tracking devices then lifting off and heading in the direction of the Last Call. She landed the craft a few blocks away from it, letting the Force lead her to an apartment block first. She hovered the craft before landing it in the apartment's hanger and made her way inside, again flinging her bag over her shoulder. Inside she was able to rent one of the apartments for a short term stay and was shown to her door.

It was sparsely furnished but would do her for a while. Leaving her bag there she exited the building and walked the few blocks to the Last Call...


	9. Chapter 09 A Reunion, A Romantic Encount...

**Chapter 09 A Reunion, A Romantic Encounter & a Surprise**

Silently the newly Knighted Skye Organa entered the Last Call, feeling the strange sensation of losing her Force sense as she entered and realised that the bar had Ysalimiri. Shrugging the sensation off and becoming accustomed to not feeling the Force, she made her way over firstly to the bar to get a juice and then to a quiet booth in a dark corner. She settled herself down to wait where she had a good view of the establishment's patrons while she waited for her brother.

Nom made his way to the counter of the bar after having been cloned and started to wonder how he would get back to Manaan. He didn't have a ship. Well it was still on Hoth anyway. He was just about to order a drink when he spotted a familiar face.  
  
He silently made his way through the crowd and tapped his fellow Jedi on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey Skye, what are you doing here?"

Skye looked up when Nom tapped her on her shoulder, giving him a warm smile.

"It's good to see you again Nom." She indicated for him to join her as she sat back on the chair in the booth. "I'm just waiting on Nahstaa, he's being cloned at the moment so I'm waiting for him here. What brings you here?"

She continued to watch the room, especially the door to see who came and went.

Nom grabbed a seat across from Skye. He was quite happy to be sitting down.  
  
"Well, I remember some, Jaina Jade Skywalker standing over me with a blaster, then I found myself in a back room of this place. I guess I was cloned here. I ran into Neo, he said he was the one who cloned me. I happened to run into you when I stepped into the main area. So what do you have planned with Nahstaa?"

Skye tilted her head thoughtfully to the side and regarded Nom, lowering her voice to a whisper she answered him.  
  
"I'm not sure yet what Nahstaa will be doing, I imagine he will be wanting to get back to Ben'a for training, although I haven't seen Ben'a for a while. I was so worried about Master Tares that I didn't see much of anything that went on when we got back to... base."

She glanced around to see if anyone may be listening to their conversation. Even though she felt Manaan was known now she still didn't want to speak of it just incase. Lowering her voice more against prying ears she added, "I suppose both of us need to think about taking on padawan's of our own soon. It seems strange to think that though because only a short while ago I was still one. I wonder if Darex and Ish have found Master's yet?"  
  
Her voice trailed off as her thoughts drifted and she couldn't help but smile slightly as she thought of the tall blonde haired man that she hadn't seen for what seemed like a very long time, instead of being just before their last mission. She found that she missed Darex more than she cared to admit.

Still watching the door, Skye saw a familiar figure enter the bar. Even though she was expecting him it still came as a surprise to see him up and about after witnessing his demise on Mimban. She held her breath, knowing it was pointless with the ysalimiri to reach for him through the force but wanting to all the same.

As he neared she felt her eyes water slightly and when Nahstaa sat beside her she couldn't help it, she threw her arms around her brother, silently sobbing. The emotional outpouring was a mixture of relief that he was back with her after what had happened and also that she now had someone close to her in which she could confide in over what had happened with Master Tares. It had hurt her deeply when her old Master had brushed her off and then disappeared, even though he had remembered her and Knighted her. Composing herself she released her death grip on him and pulled back to look at him. Her voice still a low whisper.

"Nahstaa, it is so good to see you again, you have no idea how much I missed you! A lot has happened since Mimban, I'm... I'm a Jedi Knight now."

Nom sat silently and watched the two siblings embrace each other. It was a wonderful sight to see.  
  
Nom's thoughts began to wonder as the two siblings started to talk. Was he ready to take on an apprentice? Nom knew he needed more practice himself but, he also knew Skye was right. The Jedi needed as many knights as they could get.  
  
He continued to watch the two siblings catch up with a smile on his face.  
  
It was moments like these that seemed to separate the Jedi from the Sith. And for the first time, feelings of joy and happiness, felt more familiar to him, than any recollection of the dark side.

Gently Nahstaa hugged his sister, holding her firmly, stroking her hair... after a while, she gathered herself, and pulled away, and told him of her knighthood...  
  
"Wow, that's great sis. I think more has happened than you think since Mimban sis, but we can talk about that later..."  
  
Nahstaa turned to the other occupant of the table, and said  
"I'm Nahstaa... I don't think we have met before..."

Skye sat back in her chair, leaning against the backrest and looked from her brother to Nom. Although Nom had been on the mission with them she figured with all that was going on that they didn't get around to introducing themselves. She signalled to one of the waitresses for a round of drinks, this was something to celebrate after all but she would make sure that none of their little party over indulged, that wouldn't be a fitting way for Jedi to act. She had her brother back with her and also another friend in Nom. Getting thoughtful she spoke up.

"You know what guys... if I can, I'd like to try and get our lightsabers back..."

She wasn't quite sure who had them, although she assumed that it might be Ahriman, being that he had been the one that had appeared before them in the mine shaft and it was he that had released their shackles on Mimban. For a sith he had acted honourably towards them with the agreement that had been made with Ben'a and the Jedi Master's regarding the exorcism, even if lives had been lost and turned upside down through the fight afterwards, but was she game enough to try and meet up with a sith master? She didn't want to fight, she just wanted the Jedi lightsabers back...

Nom was brought out of his worries by the voice of Nahstaa.  
  
"Its nice to meet you Nahstaa, my name is Nom."  
  
He knew he had seen Nahstaa before but he had never learned his name.  
  
He started to enjoy his drink when Skye brought up the topic of lightsabers. Nom had completely forgot about his lightsaber. It was a shame that he had to lose it before he could use it in battle. Maybe things would have turned out different if he had his lightsaber.  
  
Nom then turned to face Skye. "So how are you planning on getting our lightsabers back? Do you know who has them?"

Skye glanced around the bar, then looked back at Nom motioning for him to keep his voice down, whispering still, she answered him.

"I'm not sure who has our lightsabers, but I'm guessing - and this is only a guess - that Ahriman might have them. He was the one who appeared at the mine shaft and was also the one who released our shackles on Mimban."

She tilted her head to one side slightly regarding both Nom and her brother, thoughtfully adding, "I don't know if I'm up to facing a Sith Master but I feel this is something I have to do. I don't even know how to go about contacting him for a meeting, but if on the off chance a meeting does take place, I want you both to let me handle it. Only intervene if you see me in trouble, but let me do this my way and hopefully I might be able to negotiate a peaceful solution to getting our lightsabers returned."

Nahstaa looked over to his sister, a look of concern on his face...

"I know your a Knight now sis, but still, are you sure you really want to meet the people who would have our lightsabers... A lightsaber isn't worth your life, or a trip to the sith torture chambers... I definitely don't think you should seek that out... Then again, its up to you... this is just my opinion, as a brother..."  
  
When he had finished, he slipped his hand inside hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze... he would support her whatever she did, but he was still worried... 

"I know you are concerned dear brother of mine and I wouldn't dream of facing him or them totally alone, I would want both of you with me as back up... another knight would be ideal to have along as well if we could manage it. I'm not silly enough to want to face any of them alone and I would insist on a neutral meeting place as well, if of course we can get a meeting arranged. I'm merely insisting on being the spokes person because I feel it is something I have to do."

Skye looked from one to the other to see what they thought of her sketchy plan. She continued to keep an eye out around them for anyone that might be listening, noticing two well dressed men come into the establishment.

An aristocrat and a doctor, dressed for bar hopping, arrived at the Last Call in search of entertaining distraction. Their demeanour showed that they were relaxed and carefree, content smiles graced their faces, though sometimes deep grins broke out. The aristocrat pointed to a table of three well travelled adventurers, and the pair approached.  
  
"Excuse me, My name is Chen Chi-en, and this is my friend and fellow trouble maker Onogal. We were wondering if we could join you for a round of drinks and trading of stories, if you're in no rush."

Skye looked up at the strangers as they approached, immediately and smoothly changing the subject to something neutral and cheerful, raising her glass and giving her brother a smile. As the two reached their table she looked up at the spokesman, noticing that both were sharply dressed individuals but not recognising either of them.

Feeling somewhat relaxed in her present company she smiled at the two, motioning for Nahstaa to shover over, and moving over herself in the booth to make room and indicating for Nom to do the same. Smiling up at the strangers she commented.

"Certainly gentleman, we were just about to order another round... the more the merrier"

Once the next round had been ordered, Nahstaa looked over to the two men.  
  
"So what are two fine gentlemen such as yourselves doing in Coruscant?"  
As he said this, he looked at them... he didn't recognise them, but he studied them all the same... his adventures had made him cautious, and he wanted to know what he could about these two men...

Onogal's breathing mask filtered his voice as he spoke,  
  
"Well, as my friend said I'm a doctor, and their are a lot of sick people on Coruscant. But right now we're just trying to relax. What do you do for a living, if you don't mind my asking?"  
  
Though Onogal already had his suspicions from their unusual dress.

Skye lightly and playfully elbowed her brother in the rib's, making it look like the siblings were stirring each other, but in actual fact her suspicions had been aroused as well. She didn't miss the way her brother had looked over the two strangers and for some reason, while she didn't recognise the pair, there was 'something' familiar about them that she just couldn't place. She gave both of them a wide smile, keeping her tone mischievous and flirty. After all, the red headed, green eyed Chen was rather cute.

Thinking quickly, she fell back on her previous employment rather than give away that they were Jedi, not knowing what these pair would think of that profession. She wished that she could use the force to sense what they were about but that wasn't to be in here.

"A doctor you say? In what field? I'm interested in medicine myself, as for what we do for a living... I was in the freight business until I lost my ship, I'm here to get another actually. I've just caught up with my brother here after he disappeared on me for a while... and as for Nom, I was trying to talk the dear boy into becoming my business partner."

Skye winked in Nom's direction before she turned back towards Chen, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she answered his previous comment.

"Trouble maker's huh? And what sort of 'trouble' do you get into kind sir?"

Skye wasn't about to let an opportunity to stir go past and sipped at her drink as she waited on his answer.

Nom sat quietly among his two friends as they spoke to the two men. He remained quiet and laughed in nodded when the time came. Nom's eyes searched the two careful.  
  
'_Are people always this friendly on Coruscant?'_ He thought to himself.

"Our trouble is both diverse and well practiced. Currently we're overseeing a project regarding Falleen and their phenomenal capabilities for use in controlling riots. By altering the genetic structure, the Falleen species can produce and disperse a natural calming agent that affects everyone around them. Light exposure causes subjects to relax substantially. Heavy exposure has resulted in furious test subjects sitting down and humming to themselves. Given the recent successes of the project, we're here to celebrate a job well done".  
  
The young man slid into the booth next to Skye and flagged a server down.  
  
"Now I'm personally one for Corellian brandy, but Onogal has just discovered a new drink from Kashyyyk that he won't stop raving about... at great excess."  
  
Chen ordered a snifter of brandy for himself and a round of the Kashyyykian ale for the table. Onogal's mug didn't even reach the table surface before he downed it and bellowed a jovial laugh, asking if Chen was going to drink his.

Skye watched as Onogal sculled the Kashyyykian ale with no ill effects. Feeling alittle reckless she smiled and picked up her glass, sipping at it to taste and quite liking the taste of the new drink. She didn't quite scull the drink, but it did go down smoothly and quickly. Carefully placing her glass down on the table, she thought briefly that she shouldn't have drunken it so fast... she was beginning to feel more than alittle light headed. She was also very much aware of the handsome man sitting beside her, their bodies brushing against each other when either of them moved within the booth.

Chen smiled at the girl, looking into her bright green eyes.  
  
"You have very pretty eyes miss, where I am from, green eyes signify having a higher duty. That's actually why I'm in charge of my family's affairs, and not my older brother. While I enjoy the challenge, sometimes tradition bears with it responsibilities and laws that we do not agree with, but that's what partying off world is for. I doubt though as freelancers you have many traditions to be restricted by."

Skye found herself returning his smile when it suddenly dawned on her, while she had mentioned her brother and Nom before, she had neglected to give her own name... slapping the palm of her hand against her forehead she turned to Chen, blushing furiously both from his compliments and from her memory lapse. She could only put her lapse in memory to the alcohol she'd had...

"I'm so sorry Chen, I hope you didn't think I was being rude by not giving you my name before now... I'm Skye..."

"Skye... a pretty name for a pretty lady. So Skye, what is it that you do for fun during your travels?"

Still blushing, Skye glanced back at Chen, liking how his smile lit up his eyes as well.

"For fun? Umm I haven't had much time for fun in quite a while. I do enjoy dancing though..."

She said the last with a wistful tone, it had been a very long time since she had been dancing.

"Then there is no reason why we shouldn't dance right now, let's enjoy ourselves to the fullest. "  
  
Chen took Skye's hand, gently pulling her out onto the dance floor where a soft melody played. Embracing her and dancing slowly to the music Chen whispered sweet things in Skye's ear.

"You're such a gentleman Chen..."

Skye laughed softly as she stood, glad that he had taken her hand as she wasn't the steadiest on her feet, but trying her hardest to hide that fact. This was really no way for a Jedi to act... especially a newly knighted one.

Finding herself in his arms she sighed, shivering slightly as he whispered in her ear. She rested her head against his shoulder and let him guide her across the dance floor, enjoying maybe alittle too much, the sensation of being in this handsome stranger's arms.

Dr. Onogal ordered another round of the strong ale. He watched Chen's antics with amusement.  
  
'_Probably isn't proper for a doctor to be drinking this much . . '_ He thought to himself.  
  
He spoke to Nahstaa as he downed another mug, shaking off the bitter taste.  
  
"It looks like our friends over there have really hit it off. How about a round of this Kashyyykian ale for yourself?"  
  
Onogal set a mug down for Nahstaa.

"Aye, they have hit off... I think its been a while since she has had a good dance... I wonder if your friend will be able to keep up..." As Nahstaa said this, he sipped his ale, enjoying it thoroughly... it had been far to long, for the both of them...  
  
After a few moments, he drained his ale, and said  
"Shall I order another round?" without waiting for a reply, he pulled over the same waiter, and ordered...

Chen pulled Skye even closer, breathing deeply the scent of rose and sandalwood as his face touched hers. The music slowly faded away, and so Chen suggested that they go outside and watch the skyline.

Skye's head was spinning from the effects of both the alcohol and being in Chen's arms. She felt herself clinging to him as they danced, finding that being in his arms was just as intoxicating to her as the alcohol had been and when he suggested they go outside she could think of nothing more than being in his company. She sighed before answering.

"I'd love that Chen, that sounds so romantic. Should we let the others know where we are going? My brother might worry..."

Even in her current state she still thought of Nahstaa. Glancing her brother's direction she saw that he was busy trying to drink Onogal under the table... she laughed softly adding:

"Second thoughts, I don't think he would notice that we were gone..."

Nahstaa finished his drink, and looked around... his head was spinning, and he could tell he had drunk himself stupid... he could vividly see the smiling face of Dr. Onogal, watching him swaying in his seat, laughing at him... he grinned, it was kind of funny... he looked over to see how his sister was going, and caught a glimpse of her and Chen leaving... He held the table for support, and turned to Dr. Onogal... swaying in his seat, he said  
  
"I see my sister and your friend have got to know each other... well, she deserves a break, how about we find some women... come on mate" putting his arm around Dr. Onogal's shoulders, he led him over to a very beautiful young woman... he sat down next to her, and introduced himself...  
  
"Good evening, may my friend and i join you??? Can i buy you a drink?"

"Excellent idea," was Dr Onogal's answer.  
  
Nurgle grabbed his drink and followed Nahstaa. He took a seat on the other side of the newcomer, his speech slightly slurred.  
  
"My name is _Doctor_ Onogal. Perhaps I can purchase you a drink as well. Did I mention I'm a doctor?"

Chen and Skye walked to a turbolift hand in hand, and Chen operated the panel starting a casual ascent to the upper levels of Coruscant. Chen could see the affection in Skye's eyes, he could feel her heart beating faster and her breathing growing heavy. Lacing the fingers of his right hand with her left hand and wrapping his left arm around her, he pulled her close and kissed her trembling lips. Her heart skipped a beat as he connected with her, power of their desire passing between their lips like sparks.

Her eyes fluttered closed as Chen drew her close into his arms, his lips claiming hers. Her heart was racing and she slowly became aware of the force returning to her. Strong desire, bordering on ecstasy overcame her and she gasped for breath against his lips, clinging to him as her knees weakened. Never before had she felt like this, never before had she felt such desire for any man... she felt like she was drowning and he was her lifeline to sanity. She had so much emotion flowing through her that she found it difficult to stay in control.

Chen broke the kiss off as the turbolift reached his level. Hand in hand with Skye, he entered his suite that had a magnificent view of the Coruscant skyline, silhouetted by the setting sun, bathing everything in golden and pink light. It had been ages since Tzeentch had been with an innocent lover, her naiveté was intoxicatingly irresistible.  
  
"Do you believe in destiny, Skye? I cannot help but feel that everything that has happened to day has been so perfect that this was meant to happen, that we were meant to be in each other's arms tonight."

Her lips still tingling from his kiss, Skye stood beside Chen staring out at the breathtaking view of the skyline. Her head was still swimming with the sensations this man had caused within her and that of the alcohol. Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at his profile, finding it very striking and hard to resist. '_But why would I want to resist an attractive man like him?'_

"Do I believe in destiny Chen? Yes I do believe in it, I wouldn't be here now if I didn't"

In her mind flashed scenes since she had joined the Jedi Order. Briefly her thoughts touched on Darex but turning to look at the red-headed, green-eyed man beside her cancelled out any other thought of him.

She didn't know if it was just the alcohol or not but she felt that she could quite easily fall in love with him. Shyly she placed her hand on his arm caressingly and reached up on tip-toe to kiss him.

Chen relished the touch of her fingertips and sweet lips. Leaning back into the futon by the window, he gracefully brought Skye into the half egg shaped piece of furniture. Laying with her, he passionately kissed her again and again.

All Skye could do was feel. Feel the sensations that Chen caused when he kissed her. Only in a small corner of her mind did she think that maybe she shouldn't be doing this, that to give into this desire was wrong. Then she remembered the words that Master Tares had spoken when she had asked him about strong emotions...

"_Some would label these emotions good and bad, obviously the bad ones straying you towards the darkside. Yet I would call them human emotions. Now the question is, what will you do? Suppress these emotions, let them control you, or you control them?"_

She would ride the tide of emotion and surface on the other side... and hopefully take firm control of her destiny in the process...

She had only ever been with one other lover, and that experience now paled in comparison to being with Chen. He made her feel so alive, and so wanton. Vaguely she realised in the back of her mind that she should try and control her emotions, her desires, , but the amount of alcohol she had partaken in had dulled her perceptions and her rational thinking had gone out the window.

As the night wore on, Skye found herself more involved with Chen than she had ever thought possible, she was losing herself in his arms, relishing in his lips being on hers their bodies becoming one. Her previous love experience was nothing compared to this. Chen made her feel as she never had before and she gladly gave herself to him, enjoying every moment of being with him.

During the course of the night, in between intimate encounters, they talked, getting to know each other only slightly better. Chen asked what sort of a ship she was looking for and told her that he would speak with some of Dr Onogal's contacts to find her one. She put up a token protest at his generosity but with his sweet kisses making her lips tingle she gave up and accepted his generous gift. She wasn't used to being showered with gifts, or being spoilt with the affections of another.

Skye had subconsciously been craving this sort of attention for some time. With all that had happened over the course of the past few weeks, this intimate encounter with Chen was exactly what she felt she had needed. Guiltily she thought of Darex, only for a moment. He had been the one that had originally started her thinking that it was time to let someone else back into her heart and she had thought that it would be to his arms she would turn. Then with Ben'a confusing the issue by kissing her on her cheek before the last mission... she had been rather confused.

Lying in Chen's arms she did think that maybe he had taken advantage of her by plying her with alcohol but she didn't regret a moment of being with him, instead she snuggled closer to him enjoying the sensations of being in her lover's embrace. Eventually she fell asleep within his arms, feeling safe, satisfied and loved...

With light streaming in through the window, Skye awoke with a massive hangover. Grimacing and squinting from the bright light she covered her eyes with her hand. Her head was pounding and at first she wasn't even sure of where she was... with a start she remembered. She was lying on her side on the futon, facing out the window after eventually falling asleep and felt the warmth of Chen's body pressed against her back, his arm around her still.

Silently and very careful not to wake him, she slipped from the bed and looked down upon her lover's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, his lips turned up in a satisfied smile. She found herself blushing as she recalled the events of the night before, quickly and quietly snatching up her clothing from the floor, heading towards the refresher. She showered and dressed, feeling much better for it and moved back to the window. Skye looked back at Chen to find him still asleep. She still felt that there was something familiar about him but she really couldn't place what it was... A gentle smile graced her lips and she turned around to sit cross-legged on the floor facing out the window, wondering if she should tell Chen about her being a Jedi or if she should just keep silent on that subject.

She had let her emotions flow freely the night before, giving in to the wild passion and desire that Chen had encouraged. She hadn't known that she was capable of feeling such strong emotion and felt she now needed balance. As she had done once before, in what seemed so long ago, she took her amethyst crystal in her hand. Concentrating on the crystal, she used it as a focus to create her bubble of white light, placing herself in the centre of it to meditate and silently recited the Jedi Code:

There is no emotion .... There is Peace. There is no ignorance .... There is knowledge There is no passion .... There is serenity. There is no chaos ...There is harmony. There is no death .... There is the Force.

A feeling of serenity and peace flowed around her, counter-balancing the emotions of the night before. When Chen woke later he found her appearing as if she was just staring out of the window...

_Back at the Last Call, although they had had a long night drinking, Nahstaa wasn't in a bad enough state mentally, not to have heard a newcomer call "Dr Onogal" Nurgle... and he had heard the name Nurgle before... this "doctor" was a dark lord of the sith... he was sitting in a bar, getting drunk with a dark lord of the sith... and if the fact that Chen had come in with him was anything to go by, Chen could be another sith... his sister was off with a sith... oh dear... __  
  
__All of that took about 10 minutes to run through Nahstaa's clouded head, and as it did, he was looking sicker and sicker... standing, he excused himself... _  
_  
__"Excuse me dear gentlemen, I feel a great need to go and vomit in the street... I'll be back in a few moments..." stumbling behind the two sith, he went over to Nom, as if to tell him where he was going... __  
  
B__latantly interrupting Nom's conversation... _

_  
__"Sorry to interrupt your chat mate, but we have trouble... in about 5 minutes, make your way out onto the street, without alerting our friends..." he left it at that... __  
  
__Drunk he stumbled out to the street, and vomited..._

_When Nahstaa had finished throwing up in the street, he picked his sorry, staggering body up, and opened the force link to his sister... Once he was sure she was alright to hear this, he told her his suspicions... _

__  
'_Sis, you can't let this "Chen" know that you know this... Nom will be out in about 3 minutes, and then i don't know how long we have until Nurgle and his sith friend come out here... where are you?'_

Skye was still meditating on the previous nights events when she heard from her brother. She had been wondering how he was getting on. What he told her shocked her and it was all that she could do to keep her mind focused and stay calm.  
  
_"Dr Onogal – Nurgle?... a sith and with another? Oh no... that means Chen could be... too" _Skye sucked in her breath at the thought that she had just spent a most intimate night with one of the enemy, even to the point she was falling in love with this 'Chen' whoever he was, now she knew why he seemed so familiar... maybe she _had _seen him before. _"I... err... Nahstaa, I have an apartment a few blocks from the Last Call. You and Nom go there. I'll meet you there later, there's something I have to do first" _Skye visualised where the apartment was, letting her brother know exactly where it was.

She was lost in her confused thoughts, Skye didn't know what to think. Was Chen a sith or was he just in the company of one? Did he even know that 'Dr Onogal' was Nurgle? He didn't act like any of the sith she'd seen so far. Skye wanted to believe that Chen wasn't her enemy. Would a sith be as loving, gentle and kind as Chen had been with her last night? She had never believed in love at first sight before... well that was until she met Chen. Instant attraction – yes – lust – yes, love at first sight – no. Now what was she going to do. She couldn't just leave, not without knowing who he actually was.  
  
Skye turned around to look back at Chen... and found that her lover was gone. She'd not heard him get up she'd been so lost in thoughts. Standing up she looked around the apartment to see where he was... finding only a note.

---  
Important matters have arisen on Naboo that require my attention. My corporation will be providing aid there, and they want me to oversee it. I have managed to acquire a ship for you through some of Dr Onogal's contacts, you'll find it in bay LVX-2453-5365363. I left my comm frequency on this holopad also, hope to see you soon.  
  
Sincerely,  
Chen Chi-en  
  
---

She felt saddened that he had left before they could talk again, finding that she missed him already even if she did want to clear things up about what her brother had told her and now wouldn't get the chance to. She also would have liked to have been in his loving arms again this morning.  
  
Reading the note a slight smile come across her face as she read that he was off to give aid to the Naboo. _'A sith wouldn't go and give aid to anyone, they would do just the opposite... destroy, not help.' _Her smile widened when she read that he had found a ship for her already. _'That was quick...he really was a generous and kind man.' _Seeing his contact details on the holopad brought another smile to her lips, she would be able to meet up with him again another time...her heart skipped a beat as she thought of why she wanted to meet with him again...  
  
She clipped her cloak in place and tidied up his apartment before leaving, giving one last glance back to see that nothing was left out of place. Skye headed down to the hanger bay to look at the Corellian YT-1300 freighter that he had found for her.

Speaking to the manager she was led to the ship in question, taking possession of it, it's name would come to her she was sure. She boarded the ship and walked around it, finding the previous owners contents still on it, as if they had gotten rid of the ship in a hurry. From what the shipyard manager told her Chen had gotten it at a real bargain price.  
  
As she wandered through to the hold she felt something strange... her amethyst crystal on her neck started to resonate, making her move forward at a quicker pace and leading her to a crate in the supply hold. Her hands were shaking as she reached it and she fumbled as she lifted the lid. The crate contained the Jedi's lightsabers. She picked up hers, examining it carefully before clipping it onto her belt. Feeling like destiny had taken control again... she was meant to find them here. Just like she was meant to be with Chen last night.  
  
She made her way to the cockpit, warming up the control panels and checking the craft over. Lifting her up, she pointed the 'Destiny's Dream' towards where she had her apartment. As she neared she called out with the Force to both Nahstaa and Nom, letting them know she had arrived and that she had a huge surprise for them...


End file.
